ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB will publish its fourth report;
	(2)  when she plans to publish the fourth Independent Scientific Group report on Bovine TB.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 1 February 2005
	The fourth report of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB is being finalised. Publication is expected in early February.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has conducted on whether species of wildlife other than the badger are a significant reservoir for bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra-funded research carried out by the Central Science Laboratory, on the risk to cattle from wildlife species other than badgers in areas of high herd breakdown risk, was published on 9 July 2004. Researchers isolated Mycobacterium bovis (the prime causative agent for TB in cattle) in a number of mammalian species, some for first time e.g. muntjac deer. Infection was also found in foxes, stoats, polecats, common shrews, yellow-necked mice, wood mice, field voles, grey squirrels, roe deer, red deer and fallow deer. While isolations from deer are a concern, it is not clear what, if any, contribution any of the species examined in the study make to the problem of TB in cattle.
	Further research into the role of wild deer in the perpetuation of TB in cattle is planned.
	Defra has also funded a study of bovine tuberculosis in small mammals at Oxford University.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of whether the availability of rapid assay methods for bovine tuberculosis would assist in the detection of infection in badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: A rapid assay method for detection of bovine tuberculosis (TB) infection in badgers is not likely to be available for field use in the short term.
	The current TB diagnostic test for badgers, the indirect ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test, is not sufficiently sensitive to provide reliable estimates of TB prevalence in badgers. The sensitivity of the test is 40.7 per cent. and the specificity is 94.3 per cent. when used as a single test.
	Defra is funding research into the development of immunological assays for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection in badgers at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. The project aims to provide Defra with both improved and new diagnostic tools for the identification of M. bovis in badgers. Research is due to end in March 2005.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of tuberculosis outbreaks in cattle over the past five years has been attributed by her officials to badger-to-cattle transmission; and what the percentage was in the previous 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not possible at present to give a valid estimate. Research designed to inform the Government on the relative importance of cattle and badgers as vectors of the disease is continuing.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the loss of tuberculosis-free status in the UK on (a) intra-Community trade, (b) trade with Russia and (c) trade with the rest of the world in all UK cattle products, including milk and dairy products;
	(2)  whether the change in the number of tuberculosis outbreaks continues at the rate experienced over the last five years; and whether she expects the tuberculosis-free status of the national herd to be lost.

Ben Bradshaw: The increasing rate in the number of tuberculosis (TB) breakdowns (an average increase of 18 per cent. per annum over the period 1986–2003) will not affect the status of the national herd, because Great Britain, as a whole, does not qualify for officially TB free status according to the criteria set by the EC and the Organisation Internationale des Epizooties. However, individual herds not subjected to TB movement restrictions can be considered Officially TB Free (OTB) for the purposes of international trade in cattle products, including milk and dairy products.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the results of the four counties study on bovine tuberculosis in Ireland are consistent with results recorded from the study at East Offaly.

Ben Bradshaw: In the East Offaly study the evidence of cattle infection was measured by reactor animals per 1,000 tests, whereas the main method in the Four Area Study was the odds of new herd restrictions. There was a marked decline over time in the badger removal areas compared to the reference areas in both studies. By the nature of both studies, however, it is difficult to ascribe this reduction definitely to badger removal.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) meetings and (b) communications her Department has had with officials of the Irish Agriculture Ministry concerning the four counties study on bovine tuberculosis in Ireland.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra officials met with officials from the Department of Agriculture and Food, and scientists, at University College Dublin, in October last year. This meeting preceded the publication of the Irish Four Area Trial results and the discussion was limited to the expected date of publication.
	I met with Irish officials on 25 January to discuss the trial results. The Chief Veterinary Officer and officials were also in attendance.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of whether it is possible for farmers to apply biosecurity measures to their cattle herds which are sufficiently stringent to prevent any cattle-to-badger contact.

Ben Bradshaw: Complete biosecurity is seldom possible where wildlife is concerned, but farmers are advised to minimise contact between their cattle and wildlife.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the carbon dioxide emissions levels of each economic sector in the UK have been in each year since 1997.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 January 2005
	The following table shows UK carbon dioxide emissions in million tonnes of carbon per year CO 2 emissions by economic sector since 1997, consistent with the most recent published information which is contained in the Consultation Paper published in December 2004 for the Review of the UK Climate Change Programme. We have not yet received a full set of sectoral data for 2003 and we hope to do so shortly and will publish as soon as we can.
	
		
			 Source 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Energy supply 53.6 55.3 52.6 55.0 58.1 56.8 
			 Business 25.4 25.2 25.3 24.8 25.6 23.7 
			 Industrial processes 7.0 6.8 6.8 6.5 6.1 5.4 
			 Transport 34.9 34.6 34.7 34.6 34.6 34.5 
			 Residential 22.5 23.0 22.9 23.1 24.0 23.6 
			 Public 4.3 4.0 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.2 
			 Agriculture 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 
			 Land use change 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.1 3.7 
			 Waste management 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Total 153.1 154.4 151.8 152.7 156.8 151.5

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the annual cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in her Department and its agencies, for each year from 1997–98 to 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The cost of enhanced early retirements in Defra and its agencies was £6,109,000 in 2003–04 and £9,400,000 in 2004–05.
	The Department did not exist prior to June 2001. Figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Estimates are not yet available for future financial years.

EC Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Committee for the fisheries and aquaculture sector met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The EU Committee for the fisheries and aquaculture sector routinely meets in Brussels at one of the Commission's meeting facilities. The dates of the meetings during the Italian, Irish and Dutch Presidencies of the EU are as in the following list. Representatives from the UK Fisheries Departments were present at all of these meetings. The exact nature and number of representatives depended on the subjects under discussion, with experts on control and enforcement, fleet policy and statistics being present as necessary.
	Italian Presidency
	15 July 2003
	1 October 2003
	20 October 2003
	19 November 2003
	9 December 2003
	Irish Presidency
	14 January 2004
	11 February 2004
	10 March 2004
	20 April 2004
	Dutch Presidency
	6 and 7 July 2004
	9 September 2004
	13 October 2004
	17 November 2004
	14 December 2004

European Food Safety Authority

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the activity of the European Food Safety Authority in the UK in the last 12 months; and if she will list the publications and newsletters published by the authority over that period.

Ben Bradshaw: The European Food Safety Authority has not undertaken any activity in the UK in the last 12 months in the fields of animal health and welfare or plant health. Any activity it may have undertaken in the field of food safety is a matter for the Food Standards Agency.
	A list of its publications can be found on its website http://www.efsa.eu.int/.

Farmers Markets

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to support the development of farmers markets (a) in the North West region and (b) elsewhere in England.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:
	(a) In the North West region support for the development of farmers markets is being taken forward by the North West Fantastic Food Partnership. This partnership is made up of a group of organisations from across the region whose role is to assist food producers to develop their business and market their products. The partnership is pursuing a five-year project (from November 2002 to March 2007) covering a range of activities including support for farmers markets. Funding for these activities (totalling some £5.3 million) comes from the North West Regional Development Agency, Defra's Rural Enterprise Scheme and from the Merseyside Objective One programme. Specific initiatives relating to farmers' markets include the improvement of existing farmers' markets, the creation of new markets and the promotion of the markets to consumers.
	(b) More generally, the Government welcome the establishment of farmers markets. They offer an excellent outlet for farmers to sell their produce direct to consumers and the Department is keen to encourage their development. That is why we have made provision under the England Rural Development Programme for grants to projects promoting farmers markets.
	Defra officials met representatives from the National Farmers Retail and Markets Association (FARMA) last July to explore how Defra could work with FARMA on the common goals of reconnecting farmers to their markets and helping them to add value. The meeting included a discussion on FARMA's priorities and how these might be supported under various grant schemes—in particular the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) and the Agriculture Development Scheme (ADS). Farmers markets at both regional and national level have received funding under those schemes in the past. The meeting also covered how FARMA could raise its profile with the regional development agencies (RDAs). As a result, representatives from FARMA gave a presentation to Defra's Regional Food Cross-Cutting Group, which includes representatives from the RDAs, the Countryside Agency and the Food Standards Agency, in September 2004.

In-house Magazines

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: Since Defra was formed in June 2001 the costs of producing the in-house magazine are as follows:
	
		
			  Number of issues Total cost (£) (excl. VAT) 
		
		
			 June 2001 to March 2002 10 186,000 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 12 223,800 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 12 283,200 
			 April 2004 to February 2005 11 259,600

IT Projects

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list her Department's IT projects in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) amount spent, (b) purpose, (c) cost of overrun and (d) time of overrun.

Alun Michael: Providing the level of detail the hon. Member has requested would breach the disproportionate cost threshold. However, lists of IT projects undertaken by the Department between 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003 October 2004 (when Defra's IT services were outsourced to IBM) and a separate list of projects undertaken since October 2004 are attached. These lists will be made available in the library of the House.
	Lists of IT projects undertaken by the Department for the period June 2001 to July 2003 were made available in response in the answer given on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 239W. These lists will be made available in the Library of the House.

Livestock Movements (Animal Abuse)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions have been brought by her Department for animal abuse in the course of movement of animals to member states of the European Union.

Ben Bradshaw: Prosecution action is usually taken by local authorities as primary enforcement agents for animal welfare in transport rules. Information on the number of prosecutions is published in the annual Return of Expenditure Incurred and Prosecutions taken under the Animal Health Act 1981, and Incidences of Disease in Imported Animals" which are available in the Library of the House. This information does not distinguish action taken in respect of animals intended for export.
	Information on checks carried out by this Department on the welfare of animals for export is made available each month on the Defra website.

Radioactive Waste

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the installations within England and Wales where materials contaminated with radioactivity may be incinerated; and what quantities of (a) materials and (b) radioactivity are involved.

Elliot Morley: The premises in England and Wales which are authorised under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 to dispose of radioactive wastes by incineration are listed. Each authorisation includes limits on the quantity of radioactivity that can be incinerated, as this determines the public radiological impact. Copies of the authorisations are placed on the Environment Agency's public registers and are sent to local authorities so that they may be made available for public access. The authorisations generally do not specify the associated quantities of material (in terms of the volume or weight of the waste), and records of those quantities are not collated centrally. Details of releases of radioactivity from authorised premises in England and Wales, including sites where radioactive waste may be incinerated, are published in the Pollution Inventory section of the Environment Agency's website, www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
	List of premises in England and Wales which are authorised to incinerate radioactive wastes
	Nuclear sites
	BNFL Sellafield
	BNFL Capenhurst
	Hartlepool Power Station
	Heysham 1 Power Station
	Heysham 2 Power Station
	Hinkley Point B Power Station
	Sizewell B Power Station
	Berkeley Power Station
	Bradwell Power Station
	Dungeness A Power Station
	Oldbury Power Station
	Trawsfynydd Power Station
	Wylfa Power Station
	Non-nuclear premises
	Addenbrookes NHS Trust Hospital, Cambridge
	Nottingham City Hospital
	White Rose Environmental Ltd., Nottingham
	University of Nottingham
	New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton
	White Rose Environmental Ltd., Leeds
	Royal Preston Hospital, Preston
	Viridor Waste Management Ltd., Derriford Hospital, Plymouth
	National Blood Service, Regional Blood Transfusion Centre, Bristol
	White Rose Environmental Ltd., Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth
	Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth
	Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport
	Shanks Chemical Services Ltd., Hythe, Southampton
	Pfizer Ltd., Sandwich
	White Rose Environmental Ltd., Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup
	White Rose Environmental Ltd., William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
	Tesla Engineering Ltd., Pulborough
	BFH Incineration Ltd., Hillingdon Hospital, Uxbridge
	Queen Mary and Westfield College, London
	Merck Sharp and Dohme Ltd., Harlow
	Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow
	Glaxosmithkline Research and Development Ltd., Harlow
	St. Albans City Hospital
	University of Westminster, London
	Glaxosmithkline Research and Development Ltd., Welwyn
	S. Grundon (Waste) Ltd., Slough
	Glaxosmithkline Research and Development Ltd., Stevenage
	Institute for Animal Health, Woking
	Shanks Chemical Services Ltd., Pontypool

Radioactive Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the relationship between the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management and Nirex.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 31 January 2005
	The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) is the independent advisory committee set up by UK Government and the devolved Administrations under the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme to provide recommendations on the best option, or combination of options, for the long-term management of the UK's higher activity radioactive waste. CoRWM has been asked to deliver its recommendations by July 2006.
	Nirex is a company originally set up by the UK nuclear industry in 1982 to provide radioactive waste disposal services to the industry and others. Current work includes: scientific, engineering and social science research into options for dealing with radioactive waste in the long term; specifications and standards for the treatment and packaging of radioactive waste; and compiling the UK Radioactive Waste Inventory in conjunction with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
	CoRWM and Nirex are separate and distinct bodies. Nirex will contribute to the CoRWM review as part of its work. Nirex is to be made independent of the nuclear industry and under greater Government control, through a Defra/DTI holding company, from 1 April 2005 for the period of CoRWM's work, following which these arrangements will be reviewed and a decision made on the future.

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the cost of staff surveys in the Department and its predecessors was in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra uses staff surveys to examine staff opinions on a wide range of issues, including working practices, satisfaction and leadership. The results help the Management Board to identify areas of strength (which can be shared with other Government Departments as good practice) and areas for improvement, on which action can be taken.
	Since 2004, key measures in the Department's Corporate Balanced Scorecard have been informed by staff survey results. They are also used to measure progress against meeting Defra's Performance Partnership Agreement.
	MAFF carried out one census (all staff) survey in 2000. Defra was formed in June 2001 and has since run two census staff surveys and four sample (25 per cent. of staff) surveys.
	A breakdown of expenditure on staff surveys since 1997:
	
		
			 April to March: Expenditure (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 0 
			 2002–03 53,920.76 
			 2003–04 14,424.31 
			 2004 to present 44,965.23 
			 Total 113,310.30

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Community Amateur Sports Clubs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on community amateur sports clubs.

Richard Caborn: I welcome the fact that over 2,000 Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) have now registered with the Inland Revenue and received an estimated total of £5 million in tax reliefs as a result of doing so.
	Last month my Department published Growing Community Sport", a leaflet publicising the CASC scheme. I have sent copies to many hon. Members and hope that they will make use of this leaflet to tell their constituents about the benefits available to sports clubs.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 when special advisers attended meetings with external representatives at which Ministers were not present.

Richard Caborn: Special advisers hold meetings with a wide range of external representatives in their official capacity. All such meetings are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the speeches her special advisers made in an official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004, broken down by date.

Richard Caborn: The special advisers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have not given any speeches during the period between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004.

Welsh Language Scheme

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department's Welsh language scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board; and on what date the scheme was implemented.

Richard Caborn: DCMS does not have a Welsh Language Scheme approved by the Welsh Language Board. However our good practice policy is to ensure that Welsh versions are available of all reports where DCMS has policy responsibility in Wales.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Adrian Sanders: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost was in 2003–04 of dealing with complaints to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards which (a) did and (b) did not lead to the making of a report by the Commissioner; and how many such complaints there were in each case in 2003–04.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commissioner received 96 specific complaints against a named Member in 2003–04, of which six were the subject of reports to the Committee on Standards and Privileges. A detailed analysis of these figures is given in the Commissioner's Annual Report for the year in question (HC 716, Session 2003–04).
	The cost of the Commissioner's office in the same period was £335,258, of which £20,153 can be attributed directly to costs (mainly of transcription) arising from a particular inquiry. It is not possible to attribute the bulk of the office's costs (which relate to staff) to individual complaints.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Witnesses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General when she expects to have completed her consideration of the representations she has received about the desirability of allowing prosecutors direct access to witnesses in order to assess their credibility.

Harriet Harman: The Report setting out the Attorney-General's conclusions on the issue of whether in principle prosecutors should be able to interview witnesses in criminal trials was published on 20 December 2004. Copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on that date.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Cleaning Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the costs of cleaning the Department were in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: The total cost of cleaning all the Department's buildings internally and externally is:
	
		
			 Financial year £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 1.00 
			 2002–03 1.04 
			 2003–04 1.10 
			 2004–05 1.12 
		
	
	Costs are not available for years prior to FY 2001–02.
	All contracts for cleaning are competitively tendered on a regular basis.
	Independent benchmarks show our costs at or below the average for equivalent buildings in London.

Energy Policy

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out the (a) scope and (b) terms of reference of the study on the Effects of the Renewables Obligation on the wood panel industry; when the study was commissioned; and when she expects it to be published.

Mike O'Brien: The purpose of the study is to establish the current and likely future impact of the Renewables Obligation on the wood panel industry, relative to other factors affecting the commercial position of the industry.
	We have not yet commissioned the study but plan to do so shortly.
	We expect the study to take several months to complete.

Nuclear Security Conference

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what involvement her Department has had in the (a) planning and (b) arrangements for the international conference on nuclear security in London on 16 to 18 March; which Ministers and officials in her Department are planning (i) to attend and (ii) to give a presentation at the event; what estimate she has made of the likely cost of hosting the event; and which officials of non-departmental public bodies responsible to her Department are expected to attend.

Nigel Griffiths: The UK is hosting this international conference on nuclear security on behalf of the IAEA as part of its activities under the G8 Global Partnership during its G8 presidency year. The Department of Trade and Industry has been represented on the programme committee for the conference by an official from the Office of Civil Nuclear Security. In addition, officials from the Energy Group at DTI have been involved in planning the event. FCO conference services have undertaken most of the practical planning elements of the event in liaison with the IAEA's conference services.
	I will be hosting a reception on the first evening of the conference, 16 March, and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Middle East, Foreign Office will be speaking during the opening session. Senior officials from both DTI and FCO are planning to give presentations at the event. Officials from the DTI's Export Control and Non-proliferation Directorate, Energy Group and Office of Civil Nuclear Security will be attending this conference.
	The current estimate of the cost to DTI of holding this event is for between £110,000 and £140,000 depending on the final number of attendees. There will be an additional cost incurred by Government Hospitality for the reception on 16 March.

Premium Phone Numbers

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will refer the operators of premium telephone number (a) 0906 124 2692 and (b) 0906 633 7066 to the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services.

Mike O'Brien: ICSTIS tell us they have received no complaints from the hon. Member or anyone else about the services operating on either of these numbers. In order for ICSTIS to take appropriate action it would need a clear explanation of the specifics of the complaints and where possible the submission of supporting information, such as promotions and mailings. If there is a serious issue with these numbers it would be quickest for the hon. Member to pass on the complainant's information to ICSTIS direct for it to take appropriate action rather than use a parliamentary question.

Premium Phone Numbers

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will refer the operators of premium telephone number 0906 633 4228 to the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services.

Mike O'Brien: ICSTIS was notified on 31 January of calls generated by automated calling equipment directing recipients to call the premium rate number in question. Using its emergency procedure powers ICSTIS shut down the number on 1 February 2005 and is taking further enforcement action against the service provider.

TRANSPORT

A74

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when he will announce the start of work to complete the upgrading of the A74 between Carlisle and Guardsmill;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on his plans to upgrade the A74 between Carlisle and Guardsmill.

David Jamieson: Draft Orders for the scheme were published on 4 February 2005. The current programme shows start of works in 2006–07, with the road opening by 2008. This is subject to funding and satisfactory completion of the necessary statutory procedures.

A74

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of (a) fatalities and (b) serious injuries which have occurred on the A74 between Carlisle and Guardsmill in each year since 1996.

David Jamieson: The Highways Agency assesses its routes each year to identify locations where further investigation might be required. Since 1996, the number of incidents resulting in fatalities on the A74 between Carlisle and Guardsmill is slightly above the national average for other similar roads, and the number of incidents resulting in serious injuries is significantly below the average.

Design

Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the ministerial design champion for his Department is.

Tony McNulty: Tony McNulty MP, Minister of State for Transport.

Drivers' Hours (Exemptions)

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 31 January 2005, Official Report, columns 586–87W, on EC legislation, if he will make a statement on the removal of exemptions on drivers' hours; what representations he has received on the subject; what assessment he has made of the consequential financial impact on UK firms; and if he will list the exemptions concerned.

David Jamieson: The Department carried out an extensive public consultation exercise in 2002 on the European Commission's legislative proposal to replace Council Regulation (EEC) 3820/85 on drivers' hours as part of our consideration of the likely impact of this proposal on UK industry. We received 69 responses, which included contributions from the main road transport associations and trade unions. The consultation did not yield sufficient data to allow an assessment of costs to the UK industry.
	The Council adopted a Common Position on this proposal in December 2004. If the Common Position is agreed by the European Parliament, the following categories of vehicle would no longer be exempt: specialised breakdown vehicles operating beyond a 100 km radius from base; vehicles over 7.5 tonnes used for the non-commercial carriage of goods; vehicles not owned or hired in with a driver by (i) the armed services, civil defence, fire services, and forces responsible for maintaining public order, and (ii) public authorities; non-specialised vehicles transporting funfair and circus equipment, vehicles used in connection with gas, electricity, telegraph and telephone services, radio and television broadcasting, and the carriage of postal articles in vehicles over 3.5 tonnes operating beyond a 50 km radius of base and those vehicles over 7.5 tonnes operating within this radius; commercial passenger vehicles suitable for carrying between 10 and 17 people; vehicles carrying live animals to markets; vehicles used as shops at local markets or for door-to-door selling, mobile banking or exhibitions; vehicles used for driving instruction if they are being used for the commercial carriage of goods or passengers; gas and electricity-propelled vehicles operating beyond a 50 km radius of base; and tractors operating beyond a 100 km radius of base.

Heathrow

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what budget has been allocated for Project Heathrow; and how the costs of the working groups will be apportioned between his Department, the airport operator and other parties that are financially involved.

Charlotte Atkins: Provision of £220,000, £150,000 and £30,000 has been made for the years 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2006–07 respectively, mainly for further research and analysis. Parties involved in any working groups meet their own costs, with the exception of consultants working under contract to the Department, and independent technical experts on the air quality panels, whose costs are reimbursed by the Department.

Heathrow

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's policy on an additional full-length runway at Heathrow has changed.

Charlotte Atkins: No. An additional runway at Heathrow, if supported following the outcome of the current work on further environmental assessment, would be a short runway as indicated in the Air Transport White Paper and the preceding consultation document.

Heathrow

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timescale is for the work being undertaken by each of the planned working groups in Project Heathrow.

Charlotte Atkins: All the work is being carried forward with a view to being able to reach conclusions towards the end of next year. In the case of any proposals for mixed mode, we have given a commitment to consult and would expect to do so next spring.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reorganise the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Alistair Darling: We have no plans to reorganise the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Road Accidents (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) pedestrians, (b) cyclists, (c) drivers and (d) car occupants have been (i) injured and (ii) killed in each Greater London borough in each of the last six years for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: A table giving the information requested for the years 1998 to 2003—which is the latest year for which data is available—has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 when special advisers attended meetings with external representatives at which Ministers were not present.

Charlotte Atkins: The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All meetings held by special advisers are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Stonehenge (Road Projects)

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current estimated cost is of (a) the Countess roundabout flyover project, on the A303(T), (b) the A303(T) Stonehenge tunnel and Winterbourne Stoke bypass and (c) the A303(T) Chicklade bypass; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The current approved budget for the A303 Stonehenge project which includes the Countess roundabout flyover, a 2.1 km bored tunnel past Stonehenge and a bypass to the village of Winterbourne Stoke, is £223 million.
	The A303 Chicklade Bottom to Mere improvement has not entered the Highway Agency's Targeted Programme of Improvements. The scheme, which includes a bypass of Chicklade, would cost in the order of £120 million (at 2001 prices).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the reconstruction of schools in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: A number of donors are assisting in school reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in Iraq. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is undertaking a countrywide programme which has so far rehabilitated over 2,400 schools. United Nations agencies are also carrying out school rehabilitation projects in Baghdad and southern Iraq. The World Bank has agreed an emergency school construction and rehabilitation project to finance the rehabilitation of about 140 schools and the construction of new buildings for about 110 schools which currently have unsafe or overcrowded facilities. The UN and World Bank projects are being financed through the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, to which DFID has contributed £70 million. The UN and the World Bank are also assisting with the provision of essential educational supplies, including textbooks and furniture.

PRIME MINISTER

Russia

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met President Putin; and what matters were discussed.

Tony Blair: I last met President Putin at the G8 Summit in Georgia on 10 June 2004. We discussed a wide range of international and bilateral issues, including Iraq, the Middle East peace process, Afghanistan and the Kyoto Protocol.

Ukraine

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Prime Minister of Ukraine and (b) other EU members regarding EU membership of Ukraine.

Tony Blair: I have had no discussions with the Prime Minister of Ukraine on EU membership.
	The UK is working with EU partners to develop a programme of enhanced co-operation with Ukraine, responding to the priorities set out by President Yushchenko. The General Affairs and External Relations Council on 31 January welcomed President Yushchenko's intentions, stating that commitment to reform opens the way to a strengthening of relations between the EU and Ukraine".

DEFENCE

China Arms Embargo

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the implications of ending the EU-China Arms embargo for (a) future UK defence technological capabilities and (b) interoperability with US forces.

Adam Ingram: The Government have discussed with the United States Administration the background to the EU's deliberations on the embargo on arms exports to China.
	We have emphasised that any decision to lift the embargo would be made only in the context of a continuing commitment by member states strictly to control the export of defence-related items to China. This is consistent with the view of the European Council meeting in December 2004 that the result of any decision to lift the embargo should not be an increase in arms exports to China in either quantitative or qualitative terms.

Cut and Sew Contract

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of his Department's visit to China in connection with the cut and sew contract.

Adam Ingram: Ministry of Defence personnel visited sub-contractors in China at the request of and accompanying the prime contractor. This was to assure the Ministry of Defence that finished garments will be supplied to specification and on time.
	The visit team also confirmed that there was no cause for concern about the standards that sub-contractors employed. The prime contractor understands its responsibility to manage sub-contractors and ensures a minimum age of employees. The prime contractor also showed that it monitors ethical standards, and environmental considerations.
	Under the terms of the contract I cannot comment on sub-contractor details specifically, but I can inform my hon. Friend that evidence was shown that employees were paid more than the minimum wage stipulated by Chinese government legislation. There was also evidence that sub-contractors were maintaining a good and loyal staff, and enjoyed a low labour turnover.

Future Carrier Programme

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what involvement the Royal Navy has in defining the requirements for the CVFs; and what arrangements are in place to ensure a continuing Royal Navy input into the programme.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Navy is engaged at all levels of the future carrier (CVF) programme. The programme is overseen at senior level by the Carrier Strike Programme Board, on which the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff sits.

Defence Clothing and Textile Agency

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on current suppliers of clothing at the Defence Clothing and Textile Agency, Bicester.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency (DCTA) was disestablished in October 2000. Its clothing procurement function was subsumed into the Defence Clothing Integrated Project Team (DC IPT) which was established on 1 April 2001 and is based at Caversfield, near Bicester.
	The DC IPT has a wide range of suppliers from small companies to larger Prime Contractors who supply operational clothing, personal protection equipment, parade and ceremonial wear and physical and adventurous training equipment.
	As part of the Defence Logistics Organisation's procurement reform strategy, DC IPT has been moving towards letting larger term contracts with Prime Contractors for inventory items that have been grouped together in Product Groups, a process known as supplier base optimisation. Contracts for the supply of Tape Seam Garments, Footwear, and Cut and Sewn Products have been let, together with a number of smaller contracts for Ceremonial Headwear and Physical and Adventurous Training equipment which have followed the same principles.
	Such methods of contracting are delivering increasing value for money and also enable the more efficient use of resources, while maintaining the quality standards demanded by the Ministry of Defence.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 the Warship Support Agency spent in Scotland (i) in monetary terms and (ii) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Warship Support Agency (WSA) incurred expenditure on personnel as follows:
	
		£
		
			  Financial year 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 WSA total personnel spend 297,249,000 280,796,000 
			 WSA personnel spend for Scotland 80,042,000 63,798,000 
			 Percentage of total WSA personnel spend 27 23 
		
	
	The personnel spend in Scotland reduced in 2003–04 primarily as a result of the transfer of staff from HMNB Clyde to Babcock Naval Services in September 2002, when partnering arrangements were introduced by the WSA under the Warship Support Modernisation Initiative.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many departmental (a) canteens and (b) bars there are; and how much has been spent on the (i) running, (ii) staffing and (iii) supply costs of each in each year since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Diego Garcia

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what time, using Greenwich Mean Time, and on what date the United States Navy authorities on Diego Garcia informed (a) British military personnel based on Diego Garcia and (b) his Department that the hydro-acoustic monitoring stations based on Diego Garcia had picked up the movement and direction of the tsunami tidal wave on 26 December 2004; and what action was taken following the receipt of this information.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom military personnel were not warned of the earthquake or tsunami by the Naval Support Facility on Diego Garcia, but became aware of both from reports on the Internet at about 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT)—around five hours after the earthquake struck. The Commanding Officer contacted the Ministry of Defence to confirm that Diego Garcia was broadly untouched by the tsunami. MOD duty staffs in the UK also became aware of the tsunami via the broadcast media and began discussions with DflD staff about scoping the scale of the disaster at around midday on Boxing day.

Harrier Jets

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where Harrier jets returning from Afghanistan will be serviced and repaired.

Adam Ingram: RAF Cottesmore.

Iraq

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from his US counterpart regarding the length of deployment of the multinational forces in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The Secretary of State for Defence discusses progress in establishing a free, stable and democratic Iraq, and the role of the multinational force in Iraq in securing that objective, on a regular basis with his US counterpart, Mr. Rumsfeld. The Secretary of State has made it very clear in these discussions that UK armed forces will remain in Iraq for as long as there is a requirement for them to do so.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the US Administration concerning (a) the number of and (b) assistance provided to Iraqi civilians travelling on boats sunk in the Euphrates river during military action by coalition forces in Fallujah.

Geoff Hoon: None.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children under 18 years are in British custody in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 February 2005
	As at 2 February 2005, there are 30 internees being held in the only British Military Detention Facility in Iraq, none of whom are women and none of whom state they are under 18.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiments came into contact with members of the United States 800th Military Police brigade during their deployment in Iraq; and on what dates and at what locations in each case.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 February 2005
	The United States 800th Military Police brigade has subordinate elements consisting of some 25 units, none of them currently based in the British area of responsibility. Until early 2004, a unit from 800th Brigade was based at Camp Bucca, which is a US camp within MND(SE). It would have been necessary for members of British units regularly to liaise with the US units based at Camp Bucca. It is not possible after this time to give a list of the British regiments, dates and locations in each case.

Major George O'Kane

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Major George O'Kane was reporting to a British military lawyer based at Coalition headquarters in Iraq, as stated in the Official Report of the Australian Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on 31 May 2004.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 January 2005
	Yes.

MOD Police

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many police officers there were in the Ministry of Defence police force in each year since 1994; and what projections there are for numbers of officers in the force in future years.

Ivor Caplin: The following table shows the number of police officers (full-time equivalents) within the Ministry of Defence police in each year since 1994, as at 1 April, and the latest available figure.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1994 4,750 
			 1995 4,570 
			 1996 4,060 
			 1997 3,860 
			 1998 3,730 
			 1999 3,610 
			 2000 3,540 
			 2001 3,420 
			 2002 3,300 
			 2003 3,320 
			 2004 3,400 
			 January 2005 3,380 
		
	
	The Ministry of Defence police does not produce projections for the number of police officers, so no forecast figures are available.

Postal Packet Service (Iraq)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reinstate the free postal packet service to the Iraq theatre of operations.

Adam Ingram: In respect of the free postal packet scheme to Iraq which ceased on 8 April 2004, there are no plans to permanently reinstate this service. I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 27 February 2004, Official Report, column 70WS, and subsequent answers of 5 March 2004, Official Report, column 1155W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock), 1 April 2004, Official Report, column 1605W, to the hon. Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Simpson), 5 May 2004, Official Report, column 1527W, to the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Randall), 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 811W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike), 1 September 2004, Official Report, column 713W and 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1882W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Batley and Spen (Mr. Wood) and 25 January 2005, Official Report, column 244W to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew).

Postal Packet Service (Iraq)

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the number of Christmas parcels sent to British servicemen in Iraq which have not been delivered.

Adam Ingram: I assume that my hon. Friend refers to packets posted under the free mail service arrangements in place from 17 November until 15 December last year. All items received by the British Forces Post Office under that scheme have been delivered into theatre.

Regimental Names

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rank was of the officers of the Army Board who took the decision on the new name for the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, the King's Own Borderers Regiment and the King's Regiment.

Adam Ingram: The Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB) comprises military officers ranging in rank from Major General to General, and the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. Its recommendations on all aspects of the Future Infantry Structure were forwarded to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence by the Chief of the General Staff.

Supply Chain Initiative

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a decision on the rationalisation programme as part of the Future Defence Supply Chain Initiative; when he expects to make an announcement on that decision; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: A decision on the Future Defence Supply Chain Initiative will be made at the end of the current Assessment Phase, based on four competitive Best and Final Offers received in December 2004. Proposals for the Future Defence Supply Chain from both in-house and industry teams are currently being examined and the findings will form the basis of a Main Gate decision, and announcement, in due course. It is not appropriate to make a statement at this stage in the assessment process.

Supply Chain Initiative

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to rationalise DLO Donnington as part of the Future Defence Supply Chain Initiative.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence received four competitive proposals for the Future Defence Supply Chain on 22 December; two in-house, and two from industry consortia. MOD is currently assessing the proposals and it is too early in that analysis to conclude the impacts for Donnington, or other locations in the Defence Logistics Organisation.

Swan Hunter Contract

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 81W, on Swan Hunter, on what date the decision was taken to award Swan Hunter an £84 million contract amendment; on what date Swan Hunter were notified of the additional money; whether any unsuccessful bidder bid within 20 per cent. of the original contract price agreed with Swan Hunter; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The approval process for the revised Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) programme costs was completed on 8 December 2004 and Swan Hunter were notified formally the following day.
	One unsuccessful bidder from the original contract award was within 20 per cent. of the original contract price agreed with Swan Hunter.

Terrorist Threat

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of terrorist threats to the UK and security threats coming from sovereign states with standing armies; when this assessment was last (a) reviewed and (b) changed; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Government published the White Paper Delivering Security in a Changing World" (CM6041) in December 2003. This set out the policy baseline and assessment of risks against which the Ministry of Defence currently plans to carry out its aim to deliver security for the people of the United Kingdom and the Overseas Territories by defending them, including against terrorism, and by acting to strengthen international peace and security.
	The Ministry of Defence and other departments continually monitor changes in security circumstances around the world. The assessment of the threat of terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which draws on the expertise of a range of departments and agencies including the Ministry of Defence.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the cost to his Department in each year since 1993 of modifications to the shore-based target planning system for Trident; when the last modification took place; what its cost was; and if he will make a statement on the functions of these modifications.

Geoff Hoon: Modifications to the shore-based target planning system for Trident have cost an average of £250,000 per year (at current prices) since 1993. The last major modification took place in Financial Year 2001–02 and cost around £584,000. The purpose of the modifications has been to update hardware and operating system software in accordance with good industry practice.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the running costs of the Trident programme have been since it came into service; what the running costs of the Trident programme are in this financial year; what the total lifetime running costs of the Trident programme are expected to be at the end of its service period; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The combined capital and running costs of Trident, since it was declared operational in 1994, has ranged between 2 and 4 per cent. of the annual defence budget. The total cost of Trident for the current financial year is not yet available. Based on current planning assumptions the costs for its remaining period in service are expected to be between 2 and 4 per cent. of the expected annual defence budget.

HOME DEPARTMENT

2 Marsham Street

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff will be housed at the new Home Office buildings in 2 Marsham street; and to which agencies each of the staff belongs.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Private Finance Initiative contract (PFI) for the construction and operation of the new Home Office Headquarters provided for a building occupancy of 3,450 workstations. It is expected that when the building is fully occupied in April 2005, close to this number will be accommodated. The building is designed to be flexible and the numbers occupying will depend on operational factors including the Department's continuous programme of moving posts to the front line. Further staff will be moved in as these changes occur. There are no current plans to accommodate staff from any of the Home Office executive agencies.

2 Marsham Street

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which body has responsibility for the furnishings of the new Home Office buildings in 2 Marsham street.

Fiona Mactaggart: Annes Gate Property plc as part of the 29-year Private Finance Initiative contract.

Antisocial Behaviour Measures

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all the antisocial behaviour measures introduced by his Department since 1997; and if he will give the total figures for take-up for each measure to date by (a) basic command unit and (b) local authority area.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOS) were introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Police Reform Act 2002 and the Criminal Justice Act 2003 extended the legislation to allow additional agencies to apply for ASBOs and introduced two new types of ASBO: orders on conviction and interim orders.
	The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 put in place a range of measures to tackle antisocial behaviour and gave local agencies the tools they need to tackle antisocial behaviour on the ground. Key measures in the Act include:
	Powers to close premises where drugs are used unlawfully
	Powers enabling social landlords to take action against anti-social tenants
	A package of support and sanctions to enable parents to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour among children
	Powers to allow police officers to disperse groups of people who are causing nuisance or intimidating others
	Powers for environmental health officers to close noisy premises
	Powers to tackle graffiti and fly-posting.
	The Housing Act 2004, introduced by ODPM, also contained important measures to enable landlords to tackle antisocial behaviour.
	Data on the take-up of antisocial behaviour measures is not available in the form requested. However, a one-off snapshot survey of the uptake of antisocial behaviour powers was carried out in September 2004 and published in October 2004 in the Together" One- Year On report. This survey of antisocial behaviour co-ordinators in Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships provided an estimate of use of powers over a 12-month period. The results of the survey, based on responses from 239 antisocial behaviour co-ordinators, found that:
	158 crack house closure orders were made between January and September 2004
	418 dispersal orders were made between January and September 2004
	824 parenting contracts and orders were made between October 2003 and September 2004
	5,383 acceptable behaviour contracts were made between October 2003 and September 2004.
	Data showing the number of ASBOs issued by all courts, broken down by local authority area, is shown in the table which has been placed in the Library. We do not collect data on ASBOs by basic command unit.

Asylum Seekers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2005, Official Report, column 739W, on asylum seekers, if he will list the special and specific grants given to each local authority in Wales to cover the costs of asylum seekers' support in each year since 1996–97; and when information on payments in Wales for (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 will be available.

Des Browne: The Asylum Support (Interim Provisions) Regulations 1999, as amended, provide local authorities with the power to support adults and families whose applications for asylum were made prior to the revised system of support administered by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) coming into force in their area. Under this grant local authorities can claim their direct costs of providing support—accommodation and financial assistance—to asylum seekers. The grant is subject to unit cost limits and is calculated on an individual local authority's audited expenditure in 2001–02 uplifted for inflation.
	The Home Office also pays grant to local authorities exercising their statutory duties under the Children Act 1989 in respect of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs). Under this grant, which is subject to unit cost limits, local authorities can claim their direct costs of providing support to UASCs.
	Local authorities who are unable to live within their grant limit can seek additional payments under the arrangements for special payments. No local authorities in Wales have made special circumstances requests since 1999–2000, suggesting that authorities are able to meet the costs of providing support to asylum seekers from their grant.
	It is expected that the grant payments to Wales for 2003–04 and 2004–05 will be published at the end of March 2005. These payments will, however, be subject to audit.

Asylum Seekers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department show much central Government grant has been paid to local authorities in (a) each Government Office region, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland to cover the cost of asylum seeker support in each year since 1996–97.

Des Browne: The information is not available in the precise format requested. The Home Office assumed responsibility for the support of adult and family asylum seekers on 1 April 1999. Responsibility for the budget for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children did not transfer to the Home Office until 1 April 2000. Available information for the years 1999–2000 to 2001–02 is in the table and will be placed in the Library.
	For Scotland NASS paid the Scottish Executive, who were responsible for reimbursing local authorities. Payments to Northern Ireland were made to the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. That Department is responsible for reimbursing to local authorities their costs of supporting asylum seekers.

Asylum Seekers

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers resident in Loughborough are in receipt of hard case payments; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: As at 4 February 2005 there were no failed asylum seekers in receipt of support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (hard case support) in Loughborough.

Care Home Staff Checks

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reduce the cost of Criminal Records Bureau checks for new staff in nursing and residential homes.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 9 February 2005
	There are no plans to reduce the cost of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for new staff in nursing and residential homes.
	However, the CRB will continue to look at ways to improve efficiencies to improve the speed and reduce the overall cost of the disclosure service without compromising the quality and accuracy of their service.

Carter Report

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Carter Report.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office has made significant progress in implementing Lord Carter's recommendations. The National Offender Management Service became operational on 1 April 2004 with Martin Narey as Chief Executive. A National Offender Manager and 10 Regional Offender Managers are now in place. Together they are taking forward work on developing contestability and helping Boards to develop offender management in their areas, drawing on what we have already learnt from the offender management pilots in the North West. A redesign of NOMS headquarters, to reflect these changes, will be in place by 1 April 2005.
	The Management of Offenders and Sentencing Bill which was published on 13 January will underpin the creation of a National Offender Management Service as proposed by Lord Carter and establish sentence planning and review as a core offender management function. The Bill will also implement key Carter proposals to rebalance sentencing by making provision for a 'day fines' scheme, reinforcing rigorous and effective community punishments and by targeting resources on the most serious, dangerous and persistent offenders.

Community Support Officers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers are working in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington, North.

Hazel Blears: The available data on the deployment of Community Support Officers (CSOs) within Cheshire police is for Basic Command Units rather than parliamentary constituencies. I am told by the Chief Constable of Cheshire (Mr. Peter Fahy QPM) that the No. 3 Division (Warrington) currently has 14 CSOs.
	I announced on 24 November that, under the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund, the Home Office will support the recruitment of an additional 13 CSOs in Cheshire. This will enable the force to deploy a total of 69 CSOs in Cheshire by 31 March 2005.

Control Orders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in relation to the introduction and operation in Northern Ireland of control orders as announced by the Home Secretary on 26 January; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: I have had no direct discussions with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on this issue. However, my officials have had discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and will continue to liaise closely, through official channels, with the police forces in all three jurisdictions and other relevant stakeholders on the detail of the policy and in preparation for the necessary legislation to come into force.

Control Orders

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether homeless people subject to house arrest without trial under his proposals for the detention of terrorists will receive help in finding accommodation for their detention;
	(2)  what plans he has for housing terrorist suspects who are homeless at the time of arrest under his proposals for detention without trial; whether it is his policy to press for priority to be given to such people on waiting lists for council accommodation; and what assessment he has made of the suitability of bed-and-breakfast accommodation for such people.

Charles Clarke: It is not anticipated that the imposition of a control order on an individual (where this is deemed necessary and appropriate) would interfere with access to any benefits (including housing benefit) to which he or she might normally be entitled.
	The conditions imposed in any control order will be tailored on a case by case basis to the threat posed by the individual.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 4 January 2005 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Miss Calnette Dele-Charley.

Charles Clarke: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 3 February 2005.

Doormen

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether doormen who have passed their examinations but have not yet received their certification may work as such;
	(2)  what the average time has been between doormen being trained and passing their examinations and receiving their certification.

Hazel Blears: It is an offence for an individual to work as a door supervisor prior to being licensed as such by the Security Industry Authority once it is a legal requirement to be licensed in their region.
	Independent awarding bodies have a contractual obligation to process an assessment within 10 working days from the time an individual sits the exam and has provided all necessary identification and supporting documentation. This assessment provides the applicant with the appropriate reference number with which to make a licence application to the SIA. The SIA aim to process accepted applications within six weeks.

European Public Bodies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the activity of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in the UK in the last 12 months; and if he will list its publications and newsletters published over that period.

Fiona Mactaggart: The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) is based in Vienna and its prime objective is to produce objective, comparable and reliable data at European level on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.
	It produces regular reports on these issues, including an annual report, which are published on its website at www.eumc.eu.int Its reports cover the whole European Union, customarily including sections relating to each of the member states, including the United Kingdom.
	It collects its data on each member state through a contract with a national focal point" based in each member state. The national focal point for the UK is the Commission for Racial Equality.

Departmental Staff

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed by the Home Office and each of its agencies (a) in London and (b) in each location outside London.

Fiona Mactaggart: The number of staff employed by the Home Office and it agencies in London and in the regions is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Department London Rest of South East South West West Midlands North West North East Yorkshire and Humberside 
		
		
			 Home Office main (excluding agencies) 11,500 1,880 160 380 2,030 180 1,450 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 0 0 0 0 340 0 0 
			 Forensic Science Service 730 0 0 800 0 230 270 
			 United Kingdom Passport Agency 570 0 0 0 340 420 0 
			 Assets Recovery Agency 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Charity Commission 150 0 180 0 210 0 0 
			 HM Prison Service 6,200 7,190 3,640 4,920 5,480 3,580 5,020 
			 Grand total Home Office 19,210 9,070 3,980 6,100 8,400 4,410 6,740 
		
	
	
		
			 Department East Midlands Eastern Wales Scotland Northern Ireland Unreported and elsewhere All areas 
		
		
			 Home Office main (excluding agencies) 120 630 90 220 10 130 18,780 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 0 0 0 0 0 0 340 
			 Forensic Science Service 0 230 190 0 0 0 2,450 
			 United Kingdom Passport Agency 470 0 296 240 120 2 2,450 
			 Assets Recovery Agency 0 0 0 0 21 0 90 
			 Charity Commission 0 0 1 0 0 0 540 
			 HM Prison Service 4,170 4,230 860 0 0 0 45,290 
			 Grand total Home Office 4,760 5,090 1,440 460 150 130 69,940

Homelessness

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he (a) has taken and (b) plans to introduce, to help homeless people who are addicted to (i) alcohol and (ii) drugs.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to her on Wednesday 19 January 2005, Official Report, column 1030W.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of the work conducted by Consult Hyperion Ltd. on (a) the biometric technology roadmap for person identification within UK policing and (b) the Facial Images National Database.

Des Browne: Amtec Consulting Group has been contracted to update the 'Identification Roadmap' document.
	Copies of the updated paper titled Identification Roadmap", subtitled Biometrics Technology Roadmap for Person Identification within the Police Service" prepared by the Police Information Technology Organisation together with Amtec Consulting Group, will be placed in the Library.
	With regards to the Facial Images National Database I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 18 January 2005, Official Report, column 896W.
	The Facial Images National Database paper was produced by the Police Information Technology Organisation. Amtec Consulting Group was not involved.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) biometric passports and (b) identity cards will contain (i) radio frequency identification chips and (ii) contactless integrated circuits.

Des Browne: The biometric passport will contain a radio frequency contactless integrated circuit that conforms to ISO 14443 in accordance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) recommendations on biometric travel documents. It will be a close proximity-type chip that can only work within 0–2 cm of a reader.
	No decision has yet been made on whether the ID Card will contain a chip capable of being read through a contactless interface. Work is progressing on developing the technical, interoperability, security and business requirements which influence this decision.

Legal Proceedings (Costs)

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average total cost, including all staff, legal, court and other process costs, of securing (a) an antisocial behaviour order, (b) an injunction and (c) an eviction was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 February 2005
	We do not hold data on the information requested. We hold data on the average cost to the applicant authority of obtaining an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO). The Campbell Review, published in 2002, provides the latest data on the cost of obtaining an ASBO. It quoted an average cost of £4,800 for an ASBO but this figure was based on a small sample of orders in the early period of their introduction and was skewed by one abnormally complicated and unrepresentative expensive application. Practitioners advise that applications usually cost much less than this and that costs decrease with experience of using the orders. New research, due to be published shortly, shows that costs have reduced significantly since the Campbell Review.
	Injunctions are civil orders taken out by landlords or local authorities. We do not hold information on the average cost of an injunction or eviction.

Missing Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were reported to the police as missing from home in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collated centrally. The Police National Missing Person Bureau (PNMPB) collates data from police forces on missing persons who have been missing for more than 14 days. Statistics are not produced at a national level. A review into the PNMPB is due to report by the end of February 2005 and we will inform ministers of its findings.

People Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Albanian nationals Taulant Merdany and Elidon Bregu, sentenced at Sheffield Crown court for the trafficking of women into the United Kingdom for the purposes of prostitution, will be deported from the United Kingdom on the completion of their prison sentences; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: In sentencing Taulant Merdany and Elidon Bregu to terms of imprisonment, the judge recommended that they should be deported at the end of their sentences. The Secretary of State will consider whether deportation remains appropriate on completion of those sentences. When deciding whether or not to deport a person on their release from prison, the nature and seriousness of the offence will be among the factors taken into account.
	A deportation order will not normally be revoked earlier than three years after its enforcement. However, the length of time that a deportation order should remain in force after removal will depend on the individual case. For those convicted of serious offences this may be 10 years or more.
	The offence of trafficking into the UK for sexual exploitation is covered by section 57 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and carries a maximum penalty following conviction on indictment of 14 years' imprisonment.

Police Officers (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future role and strength of special constables in Lancashire.

Hazel Blears: The deployment of special constables within Lancashire is a matter for the Chief Officer.
	The recent White Paper, Building Communities, Beating Crime" sets out the Government's vision for continued improvements in policing and the future role of the special constabulary in delivering neighbourhood policing.
	Special constables will help to reduce crime and the fear of crime and tackle antisocial behaviour by focusing on intelligence-led, high visibility patrolling and local crime reduction initiatives.
	The Government remain committed to increasing the numbers of special constables throughout England and Wales. Accordingly, we have been working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Forces and other stakeholders on a variety of measures aimed at improving specials' recruitment, retention, management and deployment. These include the production of good practice guidance and the provision of Capacity Building Funding of up to £70,000 per Force (second year funding of £70,000 has just been approved for Lancashire) for staff and/or initiatives dedicated to the special constabulary.

Police/Crime Statistics (Durham)

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in North Durham since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) have been available to the courts since 1 April 1999. From commencement, up to 30 June 2004 (latest available), the Home Office has been notified of five ASBOs issued where restrictions have been imposed in Chester-le-Street district council area, and 12 where restrictions have been imposed in Derwentside district council area (parts of which make up the North Durham constituency).
	Data up to 30 September 2004 will be available shortly.

Prison Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the change in capital charges payable by the Prison Service has been following the revaluation of the estate;
	(2)  if he will list the prison estate assets and their value (a) before and (b) after the latest revaluation;
	(3)  what sum was identified to be rolled over from the 2003–04 financial year's underspend in the Prison Service, as at 1 April 2004.

Paul Goggins: The total capital charges (that is the cost of capital and depreciation) for Her Majesty's Prison Service are forecast to increase by £39.974 million in 2004–05 compared to the amount actually incurred in 2003–04.
	These are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Capital charges 2003–04 2004–05(1) 
		
		
			 Buildings 165.235 174.981 
			 Other equipment 3.427 2.579 
			 Working capital -4.059 2.495 
			 Total cost of capital charges 164.603 180.055 
			
			 Depreciation:   
			 Buildings 106.066 135.384 
			 Other equipment 12.825 8.029 
			 Total depreciation 118.891 143.413 
			 Total capital charges 283.494 323.468 
		
	
	(1) Forecast
	The change in value of the Prison Service assets following the revaluation is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Land Buildings Assets under construction Equipment Total fixed assets 
		
		
			 Asset value prior to revaluation as at 31 March 2004 793.665 3,819.829 206.646 77.651 4,897.791 
			 Revaluation 31 March 2004 120.253 332.147 0.000 0.182 452.582 
			 Asset value after revaluation as at 1 April 2004 913.918 4,151.976 206.646 77.833 5,350.373 
		
	
	Further details can be obtained from Note 6 on page 70 of the 2003–04 Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts as laid before Parliament and available in the Library.
	The underspends against the budget delegated to Her Majesty's Prison Service for 2003–04 totalled:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Resource 40.3 
			 Capital 72.9 
		
	
	These amounts were available to be carried forward as end-year flexibility in the Home Office departmental settlement.

Security Industry Authority

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average time taken by the Security Industry Authority to process licensing applications is;
	(2)  how many door supervisors have applied to the Security Industry Authority for a licence in the Thames Valley police area; how many have been approved; and how many rejected.

Hazel Blears: The average time taken from 1 March 2004 to date to process an application is 6.9 weeks.
	1,090 applications forms have been requested from the Thames Valley police force area. Of these, 246 have been returned and accepted as complete. 104 licences have been issued so far, and six applications refused.

Sentencing Policy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's targets are for numbers of residential rehabilitation places in each of the next three years.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has not set targets for the numbers of residential rehabilitation places in each of the next three years.
	The National Treatment Agency has conducted a needs assessment for tier 4 services, which includes residential rehabilitation; this will be reporting later this year. The findings of this assessment will be used to inform future service development.

Stop Forms

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet representatives of police forces to discuss the implementation of stop forms.

Hazel Blears: I meet police representatives regularly when progress on the introduction of 'stops' recording requirement is reported to the Lawrence Steering Group. Police representatives also sit on the Stop and Search Action Team (SSAT) Delivery Board that oversees the introduction of this measure.

Torture-obtained Information

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has used information obtained by the use of torture by another country since May 1997.

Charles Clarke: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 11 January 2005, Official Report, column 413W.

UN Office on Drugs and Crime

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime contribution, in terms of development of knowledge and policies, to the reduction of cultivation and consumption of narcotic drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has played a significant role in the development of international policies aimed at tackling the cultivation and consumption of illicit drugs. In particular, UNODC's research and analysis has helped to increase public knowledge and understanding of illicit drugs issues.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academy Schools

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what requirements in (a) class size and (b) pupil-teacher ratios apply to academy schools.

Stephen Twigg: Statutory requirements regarding class sizes and pupil-teacher ratios apply only to children up to the age of seven in maintained schools. As independent state schools, academies with pupils of this age (for example all-age academies) are free to take their own decisions on class size and pupil-teacher ratio.

Civil Servants (Retirement)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in her Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 and what the estimated cost will be in each year from 2004–05 to 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The cost of releases to my Department in the financial years 1997–98 to 2003–04 were:
	
		
			 Financial year Total cost to DfES (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 5.145 
			 1998–99 2.73 
			 1999–2000 4.237 
			 2000–01 4.06 
			 2001–02 6.142 
			 2002–03 5.57 
			 2003–04 2.54 
		
	
	The estimated cost of releases in the financial years 2004–05 and 2005–06 are:
	
		
			 Financial year Total cost to DfES (£ million) 
		
		
			 2004–05 17.5 
			 2005–06 11.6 
		
	
	There are no current plans for any further early releases beyond 2005–06.

Departmental Policies (Burnley)

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The Burnley constituency lies within Lancashire local education authority. The most recent Key Stage 2 and GCSE and equivalents achievement for pupils attending schools in Burnley are given in the following tables:
	
		Key Stage 2 achievements of 11-year-old pupils attending schools in the Burnley constituency
		
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above 
			  1997 2004 Percentage point improvement 1997–2004 
		
		
			 Burnley
			 English(2) 59 76 17 
			 Maths(2) 59 72 13 
			 
			 National average
			 English(3) 63 78 15 
			 Maths(3) 61 74 13 
		
	
	(2) Pupils attending schools in Burnley constituency.
	(3) The average for all schools in England (including independent schools).
	
		GCSE and equivalents(4) achievement of 15-year-old pupils(5) attending schools in the Burnley constituency
		
			 Percentage of 15-year-olds gaining: 1997 2004 Percentage point improvement 1997–2004 
		
		
			 Burnley
			 5 plus A*-C 40.0 43.6 3.6 
			 5 plus A*-G 84.8 91.1 6.3 
			 1 plus A*-G 90.1 95.6 5.5 
			 
			 National average
			 5 plus A*-C 45.1 53.7 8.6 
			 5 plus A*-G 87.0 88.8 1.8 
			 1 plus A*-G 92.3 95.9 3.6 
		
	
	(4) For 2004 only results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a wide range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only.
	(5) As standard the results reported relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August, and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year.
	Further information by constituency, is provided within the Department's In Your Area" website available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea. Where information is not available at the constituency level it has been provided at local education authority level.
	This website allows users to access key facts and local information about education and skills based on postcodes. The data available within the site offer comparisons between 1997 and the latest available year and cover five geographies. These are parliamentary constituency, ward, local authority district, local education authority, Government office region. England figures are also provided.
	The information available within the website is grouped in a number of broad categories including literacy and numeracy at age 11, literacy and numeracy at age 14, GCSE/GNVQ results, pupils with special educational needs, school initiatives, school work force, school funding and resources, children's social services, early years, class sizes, post-16, higher education and adult education.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, my Department is investigating ways in which we can disseminate more information about the effects of our policies at a local level. The 'In Your Area' web site will be further developed over the coming months to include additional information about adult education, school funding, school initiatives, school performance, school work force and post-16.

Disruptive Pupils

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what initiatives the Government are proposing to urge schools to collaborate on tackling disruption by pupils.

Derek Twigg: On 1 February my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to Chief Education Officers announcing that she expected that by September 2007 all secondary schools would be part of a local group of schools working together to manage pupil behaviour. To support this approach she asked that each local authority should hold discussions with its school funding forum about the adequacy of local out-of-class and out-of-school provision for persistently disruptive pupils. Officials in the Department for Education and Skills will be monitoring local authorities on these developments.

Disruptive Pupils

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role parents of disruptive children are expected to play in individual plans for behaviour support.

Derek Twigg: Supportive parents are vitally important in achieving and maintaining good behaviour in schools. We want parents to be prepared to support the behaviour policy in their child's school, and to take responsibility for their child's behaviour.
	A Pastoral Support Programme is an option schools may use to help pupils to improve their behaviour. Parents of disruptive pupils are involved in the setting up and operation of individual Pastoral Support Programmes for those pupils. The teacher responsible for arranging the programme will discuss with the parents and an LEA representative the causes of concern and what is required of the pupil to put the situation right. Parents should be informed regularly about their child's progress. In some cases, a managed move to another school may be appropriate and parental agreement would be required for this.
	When a pupil is reintegrated back into school following a fixed period exclusion, the parents will normally be invited to a reintegration meeting; this provides an opportunity to discuss how best the pupil can return to school and any behavioural problems can be addressed. Where a pupil has been permanently excluded, LEAs should involve parents at an early stage in making arrangements for continuing the child's education and in discussions about alternative school places. LEAs may, through a parenting contract, offer additional help to parents in this situation such as a resource room or parenting skills training.
	For some parents, managing their children's behaviour is not easy, and there is help available to help parents do this more effectively. We are encouraging schools and local authorities to engage more with parents, especially at an early stage, in guiding them towards these sources of help when their children persistently misbehave in school, using the parenting contracts that we have introduced as a framework for such agreements. Where parents are unwilling to engage then it is right that we take action to ensure that they do—through parenting orders administered by the courts.

Disruptive Pupils

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what new plans there are to cater for pupils who are excluded from schools.

Derek Twigg: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to Chief Education Officers on 1 February announcing that she expected all secondary schools to be part of a group of schools managing pupil behaviour by September 2007. By that date she expects such groups to have agreed admission protocols in place for previously excluded pupils. She also asked that local authorities should hold discussions with their school funding forums about the adequacy of provision for persistently disruptive pupils, including those who have been excluded from school. This will entail a discussion of how much funding should be retained by the LEA and how much should be devolved to schools. Devolution of funds for behaviour support and out-of-school provision to groups of secondary schools should help improve the quality of alternative provision. Officials in the Department will be monitoring progress on these new arrangements.

Capital Costs (Essex)

Alan Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the capital cost of new school building and extension, repair and renovation of school buildings was in (a) the County of Essex in each year from 1991 to 1997 and (b) the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year from 1998 to 2004.

Stephen Twigg: Capital allocations to the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea, for the years in which information is held centrally, are set out in the following table. Information on how the allocations were spent is not held centrally as this is decided by local authorities in accordance with their asset management plans.
	
		£000
		
			  Essex Thurrock Southend-on-Sea 
		
		
			 1996–97 12,186 — — 
			 1997–98 11,477 — — 
			 1998–99 15,510 2,099 2.577 
			 1999–00 21,928 3,395 1,356 
			 2000–01 57,317 6,464 7,032 
			 2001–02 41,570 5,899 6,631 
			 2002–03 84,492 6,176 7,314 
			 2003–04 63,462 11,007 9,907 
			 2004–05 63,202 13,289 13,793

Education Funding

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to increase central funding to schools in Lancashire.

Stephen Twigg: Lancashire has benefited from the significant increases in funding that this Government have committed to education. In 2005–06 all schools will see an increase in their School Formula Spending Share, which includes an element of central funding, of at least 5.5 per cent. per pupil. Lancashire's increase is significantly higher at 7.0 per cent. per pupil.

Education Funding

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on construction and maintenance of school (a) playing fields and (b) sports halls in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Chorley since 1997; and how much has been spent in each school in Chorley.

Derek Twigg: This information is not collected centrally.

Education Funding

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been spent on (a) science blocks and (b) classrooms in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Chorley since 1997; and how much has been spent in each school in Chorley.

Stephen Twigg: Information on money spent on science blocks, class rooms and individual schools is not held centrally. Decisions on how money is invested in schools are set out in local authorities' asset management plans, recorded locally.

Education Funding

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much revenue funding was spent per pupil in Warrington in (a) 1997 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		£
		
			 Combined LEA and school based expenditure (6),(7) per pupil(8)—Cash terms 
			  LEA name(9) Combined LEA and school based expenditure per pupil 
		
		
			 1997–98(10) Pre-LGR Cheshire 2,560 
			 2003–04 Warrington 3,450 
		
	
	(6) The combined LEA and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in LEA maintained establishments and pupils educated by the LEA other than in maintained establishments. This includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LEA expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA).
	(7) 1997–96 financial data are taken from (pre local government reorganisation) Cheshire LEA's Revenue Outturn spending return submitted to the ODPM. 2003–04 financial data are taken from Warrington LEA's Section 52 Outturn Statement (Table A) submitted to the Department for Education and Skills. 2003–04 is as reported by the LEA and is subject to change
	(8) Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under 5s funded by the LEA and being educated in private settings, pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and other LEA maintained pupils. The pupil data for pupils attending maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools are taken from the DfES Annual Schools Census. Private voluntary and independent (PVI) under 5 pupil numbers are taken from the Early Years census but are only included in the 2003–04 pupil count. Other LEA maintained pupils include all pupils attending schools not maintained by the Authority for whom the Authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and pupil referral units under arrangements made by the Authority drawn from the Form 8b submitted to the DfES. Also inducted as other LEA maintained pupils are all pupils attending pupil referral units who are not registered at a maintained mainstream school drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
	(9) Local government reorganisation (LGR) took place on the 1 April 1998 where pre-LGR Cheshire LEA was split into Cheshire LEA Halton LEA and Warrington LEA. As a result, the 1997–98 data is for pre-LGR Cheshire LEA and the 2003–04 data is for Warrington LEA These two sets of figures are not comparable as Halton and Cheshire LEAs have higher unit cost than Warrington LEA which has the effect of inflating the 1997–98 unit cost. In 1998–99 (the first year a breakdown is available) the unit cost was £2,700 in Cheshire, £2,730 in Halton and £2,310 in Warrington.
	(10) Spending in 1997–96 reflects the transfer of monies from local government to central Government for the nursery vouchers scheme. These were returned to local government from 1998–99.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 as reported by the LEA at 7 February 2005.

Education Funding

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total amount spent on capital projects in Warrington schools has been in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The following table shows capital resources allocated to Warrington local education authority and its schools since 1998, when central records commenced. Decisions on how allocations, and other funds available locally, are spent on schools are taken by the local education authority in accordance with locally prepared asset management plans.
	
		Warrington local education authority
		
			  Allocation (£000) 
		
		
			 1998–99 3,673 
			 1999–2000 4,687 
			 2000–01 8,711 
			 2001–02 9,009 
			 2002–03 10,016 
			 2003–04 8,821 
			 2004–05 8,006 
			 2005–06 9,805

Exclusions (Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils have been permanently excluded from schools in (a) the West Derbyshire parliamentary constituency and (b) the county of Derbyshire in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The available information is given in the table.
	Exclusions data for 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03 are known to have been under-reported by some schools in England. The Department carried out a checking exercise, but this was at LEA level only. As a result, this information is not available at parliamentary constituency level for the three most recent years.
	
		Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools1, 2: Number and percentage of permanently excluded pupils
		
			  West Derbyshire parliamentary constituency Derbyshire LEA 
			  Number Percentage(13) Number Percentage(13) 
		
		
			 1997–98 6 0.04 131 0.12 
			 1998–99 4 0.03 97 0.08 
			 1999–2000 6 0.04 91 0.08 
			 2000–01 n/a n/a 130 0.11 
			 2001–02 n/a n/a 141 0.12 
			 2002–03 n/a n/a 125 0.11 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(11) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(12) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	(13) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils, excluding dually registered pupils.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Illiteracy

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of adults in London she estimates were illiterate in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by local education authority.

Ivan Lewis: The Skills for Life Survey: A national needs and impact survey of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills" (DfES, October 2003) provides the latest estimates of literacy levels for England and London in particular. While it is not possible to provide estimates for each of the last five years, the survey does show literacy levels in individual London education authorities. These figures are detailed in Table 1.
	The survey highlights that 5 per cent. of London respondents were classified at Entry Level 1, 2 per cent. at Entry Level 2 and 12 per cent. at Entry Level 3 for literacy (Entry level 3 or below compares to below GCSE grade G). The Entry Level 3 or below figure for England as a whole is 16 per cent. or 5.2 million people. A further 34 per cent. of respondents were at Level 1 (considered equivalent to GCSE grades D-G).
	The survey maps skill levels to the National Standards for Adult Literacy and Numeracy. A copy of the survey report is on the DfES website: www.dfes.gov.uk
	
		Table 1: Literacy levels across London drawn from the Skills for Life Survey
		
			 Literacy Total entry level Level 1 skills Level 2 skills 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 19,340 19 47,690 47 33,800 34 
			 Barnet 20,670 10 83,250 41 99,720 49 
			 Bexley 8,695 6 71,530 52 57,550 42 
			 Brent 34,400 19 62,360 35 82,950 46 
			 Bromley 20,500 11 60,000 32 105,500 57 
			 Camden 9,210 7 47,490 35 78,960 58 
			 City of London 215 4 1,560 30 3,495 66 
			 Croydon 27,500 13 96,410 45 90,290 42 
			 Ealing 26,980 13 86,730 42 91,420 45 
			 Enfield 26,500 15 75,510 43 74,310 42 
			 Greenwich 22,380 16 61,070 44 54,950 40 
			 Hackney 24,520 18 46,430 34 64,410 48 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 7,515 6 43,100 36 68,440 57 
			 Haringey 26,620 18 49,230 33 73,470 49 
			 Harrow 17,440 13 53,390 40 63,680 47 
			 Havering 12,730 9 61,330 44 65,670 47 
			 Hillingdon 22,870 15 55,600 36 76,080 49 
			 Hounslow 21,400 15 58,430 41 63,380 44 
			 Islington 9,395 8 48,720 40 64,290 53 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5,620 5 34,920 31 71,580 64 
			 Kingston upon Thames 8,940 9 31,320 32 57,090 59 
			 Lambeth 22,200 12 70,250 37 95,940 51 
			 Lewisham 25,440 15 60,160 36 81,900 49 
			 Merton 11,870 9 51,700 41 63,190 50 
			 Newham 59,900 38 44,170 28 53,330 34 
			 Redbridge 23,750 16 63,720 42 65,550 43 
			 Richmond upon Thames 8,990 8 31,210 27 74,420 65 
			 Southwark 30,740 19 57,010 35 77,500 47 
			 Sutton 14,100 12 39,350 34 61,880 54 
			 Tower Hamlets 24,240 18 48,300 37 58,680 45 
			 Waltham Forest 22,690 16 66,510 46 55,920 39 
			 Wandsworth 10,860 6 58,730 31 118,000 63 
			 Westminster 12,290 10 41,060 32 75,440 59 
			 LONDON 925,975 19 1,640,600 34 2,204,970 46 
		
	
	Source:
	DfES, 2003.

Baseline Assessment

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines she has issued to infant schools on baseline assessment; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 8 February 2005
	Schools are not required to make a baseline assessment. The Foundation Stage Profile replaced baseline assessment in 2003. It is the statutory instrument for assessing children at the end of Reception Year against progress towards the Early Learning Goals within the Foundation Stage Curriculum. The Foundation Stage Profile Handbook gives practitioners guidance on completing the assessment. The QCA Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements give guidance to schools on meeting the statutory requirements.
	Support for practitioners in carrying out the Profile judgments is provided by LEA Early Years Advisers and Primary National Strategy consultants.

Baseline Assessment

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what baseline assessment the Government uses to evaluate school and student improvement at the end of Key Stage One.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 8 February 2005
	The Government does not use a baseline assessment to evaluate school or pupil improvement at the end of Key Stage One. Instead, we use teacher assessment supported by National Curriculum tests and tasks.

Literacy and Numeracy (North Durham)

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the levels of literacy and numeracy among school-age children in North Durham were in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: The data requested is set out in the following tables:
	
		Key Stage 2—percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 plus
		
			  1997 2001 2004 Percentage point increase 1997–2004 
		
		
			 English 
			 Durham North Constituency(14) 64 74 80 16 
			 Durham LEA(15) 62 75 77 15 
			 National(16) 63 75 78 15 
			  
			 Mathematics 
			 Durham North Constituency(14) 67 75 77 10 
			 Durham LEA(15) 65 74 76 11 
			 National(16) 61 71 74 13 
		
	
	(14) Pupils attending schools in Durham North constituency.
	(15) The average for all maintained schools in the local education authority. This includes the results of small primary schools listed in the School and College Achievement and Attainment tables and the results of special schools.
	(16) The average for all schools in England (including independent schools).
	
		Key Stage 3—percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 plus
		
			  1997 2001 2003(17) Percentage point increase 1997–2003 
		
		
			 English 
			 Durham North Constituency(18) 57 65 66 9 
			 Durham LEA(19) 52 64 66 14 
			 National(20) 57 65 69 12 
			  
			 Mathematics 
			 Durham North Constituency(18) 58 65 67 9 
			 Durham LEA(19) 54 64 69 15 
			 National(20) 60 66 71 11 
		
	
	(17) 2003 is the latest year for which constituency level data is available at Key Stage 3.
	(18) Pupils attending schools in Durham North constituency.
	(19) The average for all maintained schools in the local education authority including special schools
	(20) The average for all schools in England including independent schools. Participation by independent schools is voluntary and therefore these figures include data only from those independent schools who choose to make a return.
	Further information by constituency, is provided within the Department's In Your Area" website available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea. Where information is not available at the constituency level it has been provided at local education authority level.
	This website allows users to access key facts and local information about education and skills based on postcodes. The data available within the site offers comparisons between 1997 and the latest available year and covers five geographies. These are parliamentary constituency, ward, local authority district, local education authority, Government Office region. England figures are also provided.
	The information available within the website is grouped in a number of broad categories including Literacy and Numeracy at age 11, Literacy and Numeracy at age 14, GCSE/GNVQ results, Pupils with Special Educational Needs, School Initiatives, School Workforce, School Funding and Resources, Children's Social Services, Early Years, Class Sizes, Post-16, Higher Education and Adult Education.

Ministerial Engagements/Visits

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the ministerial engagements (a) out of London and (b) in London that she has cancelled since her appointment.

Derek Twigg: According to records four ministerial engagements have been cancelled by the Secretary of State since 1 January, these are listed:
	5 January—Foreign and Commonwealth Office Leadership Conference
	19 January—Unilever Reception
	27 January—Visit to Natural History Museum
	1 February—Visit to University College London
	Where the Secretary of State has not been able to fulfil other engagements an alternative Minister has attended or the engagement has been rearranged for a later date.

Ministerial Engagements/Visits

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what ministerial visits are planned for each Minister in her Department in the next six months; and if she will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The following tables show the ministerial visits for six months from January 2005. These visits are subject to change due to parliamentary commitments and final confirmation.
	
		Secretary of State
		
			 Date Venue 
		
		
			 January 2005 No visits 
			 February 2005  
			 1 Montgomery High School, Blackpool 
		
	
	
		Minister of State for Schools
		
			 Date Venue 
		
		
			 January 2005  
			 1 Wellgrove Education Centre, Whetstone 
			 6 West Hatch High School, Essex 
			 11 Lillian Bayliss Technology School, Kennington 
			 12 Oaklands School, London 
			 12 Hallfield Junior School, London 
			 18 Marlborough Education Unit, London 
			 18 Bredinghurst School, London 
			   
			 February 2005  
			 16 Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London 
			   
			 March 2005  
			 1 Hanham High School, Bristol 
			 2 Saints Peter and Paul R.C. Primary School, London 
			 15 Peckham Academy, London 
		
	
	
		Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families
		
			 Date Venue 
		
		
			 January 2005  
			 10 Kate Greenaway School, London 
			 11 Roehampton Neighbourhood Nursery, Roehampton 
			 11 Battersea Sure Start, London 
			 13 Stanlow Abbey Children's Centre, Ellesmere Port 
			 13 Neston Sure Start Unit, Wiltshire 
			 13 Grove Street Community Playgroup, New Ferry 
			 13 Arrowe Hill School, Woodchurch, Wirral 
			 13 'on track' Children's Fund, Wirral 
			 21 Tom Hood School, Waltham Forest 
			   
			 February 2005  
			 02 Millfields School Breakfast Club, London 
			 02 Early Years Centre Stockingford, Nuneaton 
			 08 Southwark Teens & Tots Project, London 
			 10 Langford Primary After School Club, London 
			   
			 March 2005  
			 08 Castlecombe Primary School, Mottingham 
			 09 Sure Start Unit, Bedford 
			 09 Arndale Nursery, Luton 
			 15 Community Care Facility, Warrington 
			 22 Sure Start Unit, Bexhill 
			 22 Sure Start Unit, Sidley 
			   
			 April/May 2005 No visits planned 
			   
			 June 2005  
			 21 Bideford Sure Start, Devon 
		
	
	
		Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education
		
			 Date Venue 
		
		
			 January 2005  
			 11 University of Teesside, Middlesbrough 
			 12 Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough 
			 12 Scarborough Sixth Form College 
			 12 Yorkshire Coast College 
			 17 Thames Valley University, Ealing 
			 18 University of East London 
			 18 College of North East London 
			 26 Tamar Valley Consortium, Plymouth 
			 26 Combined Universities, Cornwall 
			 26 Cornwall College, Camborne 
			 27 Bridgwater College, Somerset 
			 27 S & B Training Centre, Bedminster 
			   
			 February 2005  
			 9 Lewisham College, Deptford 
			 9 Laban Art and Drama Institute, Lewisham 
			 10 Manchester University 
			 11 Sheffield University 
			 16 China 
			   
			 March 2005  
			 3 Wygeston College, Leicester 
			 3 Leicester College 
			 3 New College, Leicester 
			 8 Chichester College 
			 10 Copland Building at the Cavendish Campus, Westminster 
			 17 Northern Ireland 
		
	
	
		Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools
		
			 Date Venue 
		
		
			 January 2005  
			 12 St. Thomas Primary School, Warrington 
			 13 Cherries Learning Centre, Bournemouth 
			   
			 February 2005  
			 8 Grey Court School, Richmond 
			 22 Tollgate Primary School, London 
			   
			 March 2005  
			 23 Daily Mail Schools' Day, Twickenham 
		
	
	
		Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families
		
			 Date Venue 
		
		
			 January 2005  
			 21 Royal School for the Deaf, Manchester 
			 21 Pro-Contact Child Protection Centre, Manchester 
			 28 Hatfield Young Offenders Institute, North Doncaster 
			 28 Child Protection Centre, Sheffield 
			   
			 February 2005  
			 4 North Beckton Primary School, London 
			 8 Childline Offices, London 
			 28 Arbour Vale Specialist School, Slough 
			   
			 March 2005 No visits planned 
			   
			 April 2005  
			 15 Families' House, Norwich 
			 26 Voluntary Resource Centre, London 
			   
			 May 2005  
			 4 Parentline Plus, London 
			   
			 June 2005 No visits planned 
			   
		
	
	
		Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills and Vocational Education
		
			 Date Venue 
		
		
			 January 2005  
			 5 British Darts Organisation, Surrey 
			   
			 February 2005  
			 9 Chichester College 
			 9 Bury College 
			   
			 March/April 2005 No visits planned 
			   
			 May 2005  
			 26 Helsinki

Mobile Phones

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to distribute Government guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools.

Derek Twigg: My Department publicised the original report of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) in 2000 through the Teachernet website. The Department of Health leaflet 'Mobile Phones and Health' is also included on the same site, which focuses on the paragraphs relating to children and young people under 16.1 shall consider what, if anything, we could do once the Department of Health has responded to the recent report.

Literacy and Numeracy (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of 11-year-old pupils in London reached Level 4 in (a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the last seven years, broken down by local education authority.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Salt Consumption

Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether support is provided in schools to young people with (a) diabetes and (b) kidney-related illnesses to educate them about the dangers of over-consumption of salt;
	(2)  what initiatives are being undertaken in schools to raise awareness of the dangers of over-consumption of salt by young people.

Derek Twigg: The joint Department for Education and Skills and Department of Health guidance 'Supporting pupils with medical needs' helps schools put in place effective management systems to support individual pupils, including those with diabetes and kidney-related conditions.
	The National Healthy Schools programme is promoting clear and consistent messages about diet, nutrition, food safety and hygiene, food preparation and cooking, as well as where food comes from, throughout all aspects of school life. This includes teaching pupils about the need for a moderate consumption of sugar, fat and salt.
	The Food Standards Agency launched the 'Sid the Slug' programme last September to raise awareness of the dangers of high salt intake, including a campaign pack that over 800 schools have so far applied for.

School Budgets (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school budgets in Greater London, were in deficit in each of the last seven years, broken down by local education authority.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is available from 1999–2000 onwards. Prior to this school level data was not collected by my Department. Data from 1999–2000 onwards are contained within the following table:
	
		Number of schools in Greater London with deficit budgets1, 2 (1999–2000 to 2003–04)3, 4, 5
		
			 LEA name 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Greater London 297 220 240 300 293 
			   
			 Barking and Dagenham 14 4 6 13 19 
			 Barnet 5 8 7 5 6 
			 Bexley 10 5 8 5 5 
			 Brent 10 10 14 16 17 
			 Bromley 13 11 4 14 26 
			 Camden 4 0 2 6 5 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Croydon 7 2 2 7 14 
			 Ealing 7 4 4 5 4 
			 Enfield 5 5 4 5 4 
			 Greenwich 23 13 18 18 12 
			 Hackney 21 15 17 12 11 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 2 3 5 9 
			 Haringey 28 19 18 11 10 
			 Harrow 1 1 0 1 1 
			 Havering 5 6 4 5 6 
			 Hillingdon 8 11 12 8 7 
			 Hounslow 9 6 6 13 10 
			 Islington 10 3 2 7 9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4 1 3 2 2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3 3 3 3 3 
			 Lambeth 19 5 7 13 12 
			 Lewisham 9 9 11 14 12 
			 Merton 4 3 4 2 6 
			 Newham 14 17 18 20 14 
			 Redbridge 6 4 4 8 10 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3 2 2 6 3 
			 Southwark 10 9 11 22 0 
			 Sutton 1 2 2 2 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 16 13 22 26 22 
			 Waltham Forest 10 7 8 9 17 
			 Wandsworth 6 5 4 7 10 
			 Westminster 9 15 10 10 6 
		
	
	(21) Financial data used to determine budget is taken to the nearest pound.
	(22) Due to changes in data items recorded on Section 52, school level balance data is now reported as the combination of any unspent allocations (including unspent Standards Fund grants) and the cumulative balance of income less expenditure from revenue funding sources during the financial year and any balances carried forward from previous years. Previously unspent allocations were excluded from the calculation of school balances but from 2003–04 onwards we are not able to split these out and as a result these figures for 1999–2000 to 2002–03 may differ from figures released previously by the department.
	(23) School level data has only been collected by the DfES since the inception of Section 52 in 1999–2000.
	(24) Figures for 1999–2000 to 2002–03 are for LEA maintained primary, secondary and special schools. 2003–04 figures also include those LEA maintained nursery schools with delegated budgets.
	(25) 2003–04 data is still undergoing data cleaning and is therefore subject to charges by the LEA which may after the results for that period.
	Note:
	As reported by LEAs as at 3 February 2005.

School Toilets (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money her Department has granted to schools in Lancashire for construction of school toilets in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: We do not hold central information on money granted to schools for construction of school toilets. Decisions on how resources should be invested in schools are taken by individual local education authorities based on locally prepared asset management plans.

School Transport (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have used home-to-school transport in Greater London in each of the last five years, broken down by local education authority.

Derek Twigg: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Secondary Schools

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the performance of secondary schools in Ilford, North based on Key Stage 2 to GCSE results since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: Standards in secondary schools in the Ilford, North constituency have improved significantly. Between 1997 and 2003 the percentage of pupils achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3 increased by 8.4 percentage points in English, 8.4 percentage points in mathematics and 10.4 percentage points in science. School level Key Stage 3 information for 2004 is not yet available. At Key Stage 4 there has been an increase of 14.1 percentage points in the attainment of five plus A*-C GCSEs, which is above the national rate of improvement of 8.6 percentage points. A summary of the improving outcomes is set out in the following table, though it does not include Key Stage 2—age 15 value added scores, which were published for the first time in 2004 and have not yet been developed at constituency level.
	Information about education and skills by constituency is made available by the Department through the 'In Your Area' website, available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea.
	
		Key Stage 3: Percentage of pupils at level 5 and above
		
			  English Maths Science 
		
		
			 1997 66 67 61.3 
			 1998 67.6 65.2 55.5 
			 1999 63 66.8 54.9 
			 2000 69.1 67 60.9 
			 2001 70 72.2 67.8 
			 2002 72.4 71.4 72.3 
			 2003 74.4 75.4 71.7 
		
	
	
		Key Stage 4
		
			  Percentage of 15-year-olds gaining 5 plus GCSEs at A*-C 
		
		
			 1997 48.5 
			 1998 53.7 
			 1999 56.5 
			 2000 57.2 
			 2001 59.8 
			 2002 58.6 
			 2003 59.9 
			 2004 62.6

Secondary Schools

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on secondary education in Chorley constituency.

Stephen Twigg: Between 1997 and 2003, the percentage of pupils achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3 in Chorley constituency schools increased by 14.5 percentage points in English, by 9.5 percentage points in mathematics and by 8.1 percentage points in science. School level Key Stage 3 information for 2004 is not yet available. At Key Stage 4 there has been an increase of 7.2 percentage points in the attainment of 5 A*-C GCSEs between 1997 and 2004, which compares to a national rate of improvement of 8.6 percentage points. A summary of secondary outcomes is set out in the following table.
	Information about education and skills by constituency is made available by the Department through the 'In Your Area' website, available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea.
	
		Key Stage 3
		
			  Percentage of pupils at Level 5 and above 
			  English Maths Science 
		
		
			 1997 66.6 67 68.2 
			 1998 72.2 70.7 66.1 
			 1999 64.1 69.4 63.4 
			 2000 71.6 73.1 69.2 
			 2001 71.5 74.6 76.4 
			 2002 72.3 75.3 74.2 
			 2003 81.1 76.5 76.3 
		
	
	
		Key Stage 4
		
			  Percentage 15-year-olds gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-C 
		
		
			 1997 53.7 
			 1998 51.4 
			 1999 52.1 
			 2000 56.7 
			 2001 53.8 
			 2002 57.4 
			 2003 60.9 
			 2004 60.9

Staff Numbers (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) learning support assistants and pupils there are in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Lancashire and (B) Chorley.

Stephen Twigg: The data for the full-time equivalent number of teachers is given in the following table:
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(26): full-time equivalent number of teaching staff (27)—January 2004
		
			  Qualified teachers Other teaching staff Total teaching staff 
		
		
			 Primary
			 Chorley parliamentary constituency 390 0 390 
			 Lancashire local education authority (28)4,600 30 4,630 
			 Secondary
			 Chorley parliamentary constituency 450 10 460 
			 Lancashire local education authority (28)4,720 70 4,790 
		
	
	(26) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(27) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(28) Source: DfES 618G survey.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census unless otherwise stated.
	The data for the full-time equivalent number of support staff is given in the following table:
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(29): full-time equivalent number of support staff (30)—January 2004
		
			  Teaching assistants All other support staff Total support staff 
		
		
			 Primary
			 Chorley parliamentary constituency 190 70 260 
			 Lancashire local education authority 2,220 780 3,000 
			 Secondary
			 Chorley parliamentary constituency 50 100 150 
			 Lancashire local education authority 470 1,140 1,610 
		
	
	(29) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(30) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census
	The data for the number of pupils is given in the following table:
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools (31): number (headcount) of pupils (32)—January 2004
		
			  Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 Chorley parliamentary constituency 8,820 7,720 
			 Lancashire local education authority 96,880 76,690 
		
	
	(31) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(32) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: This information is not collected centrally. Costs that are incurred by individual divisions or teams reflect the Department's serious commitment to learning and development for its staff, and support departmental aims and objectives.

School Performance (Stockton, South)

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes there have been in (a) GCSE and (b) A level results achieved by students in the constituency of Stockton, South since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is given in the following tables.
	
		Table 1: GCSE and equivalents(33) Achievement of 15-year-old pupils(34) attending schools in the Stockton, South constituency
		
			 Percentage of 15-year-olds gaining: 1997 2004 Percentage point improvement 1997–2004 
		
		
			 Stockton south—5+A*-C 42.9 51.8 8.9 
			 Stockton south—5+A*-G 88.1 91.0 2.9 
			 Stockton south—1+A*-G 93.0 96.1 3.1 
			 National average—5+A*-C 45.1 53.7 8.6 
			 National average—5+A*-G 87.0 88.8 1.8 
			 National average—1+A*-G 92.3 95.9 3.6 
		
	
	(33) For 2004 only results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a wide range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only.
	(34) As standard the results reported relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August, and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year.
	
		Table 2: A Level and vocational equivalent achievement in Stockton south—Average point score per candidate(35)
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(36) 2003(36) 2004(36) 
		
		
			 Stockton south 15.7 16.5 15.8 16.6 17.1 221.9 248.6 247.7 
			 Stockton-on-Tees LEA 16.0 16.8 16.2 16.9 17.2 229.8 264.5 255.2 
			 National 16.1 15.8 16.3 16.7 17.4 254.7 258.9 269.2 
		
	
	(35) For Stockton, South constituency and Stockton-on-Tees LEA the tables show aggregated results for maintained schools and FE sector colleges only; independent schools are not included. The national figures additionally include independent schools.
	(36) A new point scoring tariff was adopted by UCAS in 2002.
	
		Table 3: Average point score per examination entry(37)
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(38) 2003(38) 2004(38) 
		
		
			 Stockton south 5.1 5.5 5.4 5.6 5.7 73.6 75.7 76.8 
			 Stockton-on-Tees LEA 5.1 5.9 5.4 5.6 5.6 73.2 77.1 76.4 
			 National 5.3 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.5 76.0 77.4 78.7 
		
	
	(37) For Stockton, South constituency and Stockton-on-Tees LEA the tables show aggregated results for maintained schools and FE sector colleges only; independent schools are not included. The National figures additionally include independent schools.
	(38) A new point scoring tariff was adopted by UCAS in 2002.
	Further information by constituency, is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' web site available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea. Where information is not available at the constituency level it has been provided at local education authority level.
	This website allows users to access key facts and local information about education and skills based on postcodes. The data available within the site offers comparisons between 1997 and the latest available year and covers five geographies. These are parliamentary constituency, ward, local authority district, local education authority, Government Office Region. England figures are also provided.
	The information available within the website is grouped in a number of broad categories including literacy and numeracy at age 11, literacy and numeracy at age 14, GCSE/GNVQ results, pupils with special educational needs, school initiatives, school workforce, school funding and resources, children's social services, early years, class sizes, post-16, higher education and adult education.
	Additional information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, my Department is investigating ways in which we can disseminate more information about the effects of our policies at a local level. The 'In your area' web site will be further developed over the coming months to include additional information about adult education, school funding, school initiatives, school performance, school workforce and post-16.

Unallocated Spending

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 910W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department provides to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Chris Mullin: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in partnership with the Department for International Development (DFID) and Ministry of Defence.
	Our Ambassador in Kinshasa is a key member of the support committee for the Transitional Government (CIAT), which offers advice, mediation and facilitation to the Transitional Government.
	The UK's financial assistance to the DRC (mainly through DFID) is expected to total £34 million in 2004–05. Additionally, the UK contributes 7.4 per cent. of the UN Peacekeeping Force (MONUC)'s budget and made a further contribution of £1 million in 2004. The UK currently has five military officers serving in MONUC.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many departmental (a) canteens and (b) bars there are; and how much has been spent on the (i) running, (ii) staffing and (iii) supply costs of each in each year since 1997.

Denis MacShane: There are three departmental canteens and two bars on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Home Estate. The cost of providing catering to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1996–97 160,258.31 
			 1997–98 210,696 
			 1998–99 132,604.30 
			 1999–2000 99,275.00 
			 2000–01 200,434 
			 2001–02 173,958.39 
			 2002–03 119,581 
			 2003–04 184,201.59 
			 2004–05 175,791 
		
	
	A breakdown by (i) running, (ii) staffing, (iii) supply costs of each in each year could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: The production costs for centrally funded in-house magazines with a circulation of over 1,000 from 1997 to the last full financial year are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 19,870 
			 1998–99 20,150 
			 1999–2000 21,066 
			 2000–01 22,609 
			 2001–02 86,330 
			 2002–03 97,968 
			 2003–04 131,734 
		
	
	Figures for spending on smaller circulation in-house publications since 1997 are not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has two principal all staff in-house magazines: News&Views" and Connect". They each have a circulation of 16,000. There are also magazines produced for Consular and FCO Services staff which have a circulation of over 1,000 and where budgets are held centrally. These figures are included in the totals. There are other in-house magazines at Posts and in Directorates, but these figures could not be produced without incurring disproportionate cost as budgets are not held centrally.
	The rise in spending between 2000 and 2001 is due to News&Views" magazine ceasing to be produced solely in-house and being contracted out to a professional corporate communications agency, and to the introduction of a quarterly policy-focused publication for managers: Connect". Figures for 2003–04 include the contracting out of the editorial function on News&Views". This has now been brought back in-house and the two magazines are being combined so costs for 2004–05 will fall.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on (a) provision of parking spaces for civil servants and (b) parking tickets and penalties incurred by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has, since January 2001 spent £4,000 per annum on the provision of car parking spaces at Albert Embankment for staff at our UKvisas Department. Other parking spaces provided are either free of charge or do not incur separately identified charges.
	Details of parking tickets and penalties incurred by official vehicles are only available for the last three years, and are as follows:
	
		
			  Parking tickets Total cost (£) 
		
		
			 2002 18 800 
			 2003 39 2,145 
			 2004 38 1,950

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on congestion (a) charges and (b) penalty charge notices by the Department since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme.

Denis MacShane: From 23 March 2003 to 22 January 2005 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services fleet of vehicles has spent £34,868.33 on congestion charges and £4,530.00 on penalties. The total spend over this period for charges plus penalties is £39,398.33.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Department spent on (a) stationery and (b) office supplies in each year since 1997.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent £1,345,639.51 on stationery in financial year 2004–05. This was made up as follows:
	
		£
		
			  Cost 
		
		
			 Desktop stationery 573,794.80 
			 Computer consumables 338,146.38 
			 Magnetic media 251,171.00 
			 Paper 182,526.36 
		
	
	The information requested for stationery in the six years prior to 2004–05 and for office supplies (other than stationery) for each year since 1997 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Diplomatic Immunity

Donald Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since 1 May 1997 the Government has waived the immunity of British diplomats or members of their families; what the circumstances of the waiver were in each case; how many requests from foreign Governments for waivers were turned down in the same period; and what the circumstances of each refusal were.

Douglas Alexander: We regularly waive the immunity of British diplomats to enable them to give evidence in civil or criminal matters. Details are not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
	We have no record of any requests from foreign Governments for the waiver of diplomatic immunity from criminal jurisdiction of British diplomats or their families during the period in question.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Association Committees with the countries of central and eastern Europe met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Joint Committee (EC-Romania) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Joint Committee (EEC-Bulgaria) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: EU Association Committee meetings take place once a year for each candidate country until it joins the EU. Representatives from member states are invited to attend as observers.
	The following EU Association Committee meetings took place under the Italian, Irish and Dutch Presidencies:
	Italian Presidency:
	July 2003—Slovenia (in Llubljana), attended by a representative from United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the EU (UKRep).
	July 2003—Slovakia (in Bratislava), attended by a representative from the British Embassy, Bratislava.
	September 2003—Poland (in Warsaw), attended by a representative from UKRep.
	November 2003—Romania (in Bucharest), attended by representatives from UKRep and the British Embassy, Bucharest.
	Irish Presidency:
	June 2004—Bulgaria (in Sofia), attended by representatives from UKRep and the British Embassy, Sofia.
	Dutch Presidency:
	November 2004—Romania (in Brussels), attended by representatives from DEFRA and DTI.
	The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) for Bulgaria met in October 2004 in Russe (Bulgaria). The JCC for Romania met in November 2004 in Brussels. Individual member states were not formally represented.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Joint Committee (EEC-Andorra) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The EC-Andorra Joint Committee meets on an ad hoc basis. During the Italian Presidency of 2003, one meeting was held on 8 October at the Andorran Representation in Brussels and no UK Government expert was present. None were held in 2004.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the EC-Armenia Co-operation Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: There was one meeting of the EU-Armenia Co-operation Committee during this period—on 4 June 2004 in Brussels. As Co-operation Committees are chaired by the Commission, with support from the Presidency, there was no UK representative at this meeting. However, the UK participated fully in formulating the EU's position for the meeting.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the EC-Kazakhstan Co-operation Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: There was one meeting of the EU-Kazakhstan Co-operation Committee during this period—on 23 March 2004 in Astana. As Co-operation Committees are chaired by the Commission, with support from the Presidency, there was no UK representative at this meeting. However, the UK participated fully in formulating the EU's position for the meeting.

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what research his Department undertook regarding the question in the referendum on the EU constitution;
	(2)  what opinion polling evidence his Department considered or commissioned regarding potential questions in the referendum on the EU constitution;
	(3)  what focus group research his Department considered or commissioned regarding potential questions in the referendum on the EU constitution;
	(4)  what consultations, and with whom, his Department carried out regarding potential questions in the referendum on the EU constitution;
	(5)  with which (a) Government organisations and Departments, (b) non-government organisations, (c) private companies, (d) institutions of the European Union and (e) other bodies he consulted regarding potential questions in the referendum on the EU constitution;
	(6)  when he decided the wording of the question to be used in the referendum on the EU constitution.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply
	There has been no research, opinion polling, focus group research or consultation on the question providing for a referendum on the treaty establishing a constitution for the European Union. No non-government organisations, private companies, institutions of the European Union organisation or other bodies were consulted.
	The question was drafted bearing in mind the Electoral Commission's guidelines, which are designed to ensure a question is intelligible. The Electoral Commission's views on the question in Lord Blackwell's Private Member's Bill of July 2004 were also taken into account.
	The wording of the question was decided following agreement at ministerial level with relevant Departments.

European Constitution (Gibraltar)

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal advice he has taken on the consequences for the UK referendum on the EU Constitution of a decision by Gibraltar not to hold a referendum.

Denis MacShane: The hon. Member will be aware that the people of Gibraltar will be entitled to vote in the referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the awarding of contracts for (a) reconstruction and (b) the privatisation of public services during the period of the interim government in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: Following the end of occupation on 28 June 2004, responsibility for contracts funded from the Development Fund for Iraq (DPI) passed to the Iraqi Government. The US Project and Contracting Office (PCO) continues to manage DPI funded contracts awarded prior to 28 June 2004.
	The DPI continues to be monitored by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB), mandated under United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1483 of 22 May 2003 and 1546 of 8 June 2004 to ensure DPI funds are used in a transparent manner and for purposes benefiting the Iraqi people.
	US-funded contracts previously issued by the dissolved Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) are now the responsibility of the PCO. The PCO contracts and manages the disbursal of US Supplemental funds.
	Contracts funded by the International Reconstruction Trust Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) are issued by the World Bank and UN under their respective procurement procedures for projects proposed by the Iraqi Government.

Israel

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government following the recent killing of an 10-year-old schoolgirl and the injuring of another by Israeli forces in Rafah.

Bill Rammell: The exact circumstances surrounding the killing of a 10-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl in Rafah, Gaza are still not clear. Our staff in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are monitoring the situation closely. Whatever the outcome of this case, we deplore the number of civilian casualties, particularly children, which have resulted from this conflict, and call on both sides to act with restraint.

Jamatta Islah-ul-Mushimeen

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's discussions with the government of the United Arab Emirates about the Islamic group Jamatta Islah-ul-Mushimeen; what the purpose of these talks was; on what date they were held; at what level they were held; and what the outcome was.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 24 January 2005
	My right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean visited the United Arab Emirates last month where, among other bilateral issues, she discussed terrorism. These discussions included a number of groups of concern.

Kosovo

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations he has had with European countries regarding the human rights situation in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The UN Security Council-endorsed Standards are central to improving human rights in Kosovo. In March 2004, the publication of the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan gave new impetus to work to create a multi-ethnic, stable and democratic Kosovo. We discuss Standards and their implementation regularly with EU partners; in particular how the EU can continue to support the efforts of the wider international community, including the Contact Group, to move Kosovo towards a resolution of its final status.
	EU countries provide practical assistance for the implementation of Standards in Kosovo bilaterally and through the Commission's €173 million CARDS assistance programme. In particular, the CARDS programme has contributed €11 million in direct support for organised return and resettlement projects for internally displaced persons.

Official Residences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the official residences for which his Department is responsible; who occupies each one; what the annual cost is of running each property; what contribution the occupants of each make towards running costs; what the total capital and refurbishment expenditure has been on those properties in each of the past five years; how much money was spent in each property on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills and (e) electricity and gas in 2003–04; how many (i) domestic and (ii) maintenance staff are employed at each property, broken down by post; and what the total cost of staff employment was in 2003–04.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) maintains official residential accommodation and conference facilities at 1 Carlton Gardens, London. The running costs for the last five financial years for the residential accommodation, currently unoccupied, are as follows:
	
		£
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Maintenance 24,561 15,918 1,245 4,089 8,910 
			 Renovation (capital and refurbishment) 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Council tax 350 375 410 491 570 
			 Running costs—rent 27,300 54,000 54,000 54,000 54,772 
			 Utilities 1,620 4,723 5,251 3,971 2,150 
			 Total 53,831 75,016 60,906 62,551 66,402 
		
	
	A rent review in April 2000 resulted in a rental increase. There are no separate records available for expenditure on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills in 2003–04 at this property. No maintenance or domestic staff are employed.
	The FCO is also responsible for running Head of Missions' Residences overseas. The budgets for this are held at overseas posts; the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Peacekeeping Forces

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost has been to the United Kingdom in each of the last five years of UK peacekeeping forces; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been administering the Government's financial contributions to peacekeeping and other peace support operations since 2001. That is when funding these activities was brought within the management structure of the Africa and Global Conflict Prevention Pools, except where the scale or volatility of such activity would seriously impact on other pool activities. The Global and Africa Conflict Prevention Pools combine the knowledge and resources of the Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It has a unique funding arrangement specifically voted by Parliament for conflict prevention and reduction. Total expenditure on peacekeeping and peace support operations from the pools since 2001 is shown in the table. The figures include both assessed and voluntary contributions to the UN and other organisations.
	
		Nearest £ million
		
			 Financial year Cost 
		
		
			 2001–02 458 
			 2002–03 386 
			 2003–04 288 
			 2004–05 (39)336 
		
	
	(39) Current forecast: accounts to be finalised after the end of the 2004–05 financial year.

Opinion Polls

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what contracts his Department has agreed with organisations for opinion polling or related research in the past 24 months;
	(2)  what research into public opinion his Department has commissioned over the past 24 months;
	(3)  if he will list all organisations or individuals that have provided public opinion research to his Department over the past 24 months;
	(4)  if he will list all organisations or individuals with which his Department has agreed contracts for research projects over the past 24 months;
	(5)  if he will list all public opinion research projects that his Department has carried out over the past 24 months.

Chris Mullin: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has commissioned opinion research projects over the past 24 months to better target both the promotion of Britain overseas and the FCO's overseas public diplomacy campaigns. It has also commissioned research in Britain so as to communicate better with the UK general public about issues to consider when travelling overseas, and to help focus and inform the FCO's outreach activity with civil society and faith communities.
	Contracts to deliver this research have been awarded to the following agencies, each of which was selected in accordance with public sector procurement guidelines. These are:
	MORI
	NOP
	Prescient
	Synovate
	Wardle McLean
	Webstar.
	A number of our overseas posts, as well as the FCO's non-departmental public bodies, also commission opinion research occasionally. However, a comprehensive list of these projects is not held centrally, and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Opinion Polls

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what public opinion research his Department has undertaken, commissioned or received regarding (a) the EU Constitution and (b) the European Union in the past 24 months.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office commissioned ICM to carry out a series of focus groups in June 2004 to test the clarity of its Guide to the European Union" before publication. In addition, officials collate information on publicly available research into public opinion on EU matters from a range of other sources.

Qualified Majority Voting

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the annex setting out policy areas in the new treaty which have moved to qualified majority voting or co-decision, to which he refers in his statement of 26 January, Official Report, column 17WS, includes all the areas listed in his answer of 5 July 2004 to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis), Official Report, column 592W.

Denis MacShane: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in a Written Ministerial Statement of 26 January, Annex 1 to the Commentary on the Constitutional Treaty (Cm 6459) updates and supplements the answer I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Julian Lewis) on 5 July 2004 Official Report, columns 592–3W. Three Articles mentioned in that answer are not listed in Annex 1. They are: Article HI-266 (formerly III-167) concerning asylum policy, all aspects of which will shortly move to QMV under the current (Nice) Treaties and which was still an open question at the time of my earlier answer; Article HI-311 (formerly HI-212) concerning the European Defence Agency, which has now been established under the current Treaties by a unanimous joint action of the Council in July 2004 (OJ L24517.7.2004 p17); and Article III-196 (formerly 111–90) concerning international aspects of the euro, which would only apply to the UK if it adopts the euro.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions his Department's Ministers used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years.

Jack Straw: In the past five years, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and I have used the aircraft of 32 (The Royal) Squadron as follows:
	
		
			  Number of occasions 
		
		
			 2000 47 
			 2001 39 
			 2002 45 
			 2003 39 
			 2004 34 
		
	
	The VC10s on the Squadron were withdrawn at the end of 2001 and one of the BAE 146s in November 2001.

Severance Grants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January, Official Report, column 27W, on severance grants, what monitoring of the internal management of communities institutions his Department undertakes.

Denis MacShane: The UK was heavily involved in the Prodi Commission's work to modernise the Institutions of the EU, including the negotiations that culminated in reform of the EC Staff Regulations. The policy reform introduced a new careers structure, rules governing the field of professional and ethical standards, and modernised rules regarding external mobility, middle management conditions and salaries and pensions structures. The UK will continue to participate in Working Groups looking at institutional issues such as these during the Barroso Commission.

South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the decision to suspend the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation summit scheduled to take place in Dhaka on 6 February; what information he has received on the reasons for the suspension; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The decision to suspend the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit due to have been held in Dhaka on 6–7 February was taken by the Bangladesh Government following Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's withdrawal from the conference. Under the SAARC Charter, a summit cannot be held without the participation of all the leaders of the seven member states.
	The Indian Government have indicated that their decision was taken due to recent developments in Nepal and concerns about the security situation in Dhaka. We understand that fresh dates for the Summit will now be worked out through consultations among SAARC's member states. The UK supports fully the SAARC member states' aim to increase economic co-operation between the countries of South Asia and we hope that a new meeting will be arranged quickly.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the recent problems in Port Sudan, Province of Sudan, with particular reference to (a) the actions of the Sudanese Army and (b) the arrest and detention of Beja Congress leaders;
	(2)  if he will seek information on the demonstration in Port Sudan on 29 January, with particular reference to violence perpetrated by the police.

Chris Mullin: On 28 January, the Beja Congress in Port Sudan held a demonstration in protest against their marginalisation from social and political life. This followed clashes in the East of Sudan between the Beja and the Government, on 25 January. The demonstrations turned violent, and we understand that approximately 20 people were killed when police opened fire. The situation is reportedly now calmer, though tensions remain high. The majority of those arrested in relation to the incident have now been released, but a number of Beja leaders remain in detention.
	We are very concerned about increased tensions, and these specific incidents, in eastern Sudan. We have urged the Government of Sudan to show restraint, and made clear that attacks on civilians are totally unacceptable. We have also made clear that both sides should work together to resolve their grievances peacefully, within the framework of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

UN Office on Drugs and Crime

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to achieve their target of eradicating drug misuse by the year 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has made important progress on a range of issues regarding drug misuse as detailed in the 2004 World Drug Report. Nevertheless, it is clear that important challenges remain. The Government are committed to continuing to work closely with UNODC to confront these challenges.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Recipients (High Peak)

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the High Peak constituency are receiving (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) income support; and how many were receiving each in 1997.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Number of people receiving income support (IS), incapacity benefit (IB) jobseeker's allowance (JSA) in High Peak in August 1997 and August 2004
		
			  1997 2004 
		
		
			 IS 4,100 2,200 
			 JSA 1,595 835 
			 IB 3,200 3,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. IS and IB figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding. JSA figures are not rounded.
	2. IS and IB Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. JSA figures are based on a 100 per cent. sample.
	3. From November 2003 IS figures are severely affected by the introduction of pension credit, which replaced MIG on 6 October 2003 and extended income support entitlement to customers aged 60+. Pension credit cases are not included in the figures in the table.
	4. IB figures include all IB and SDA (including IB credits only cases).
	Source:
	1. IS and IB figures are from DWP information centre.
	2. JSA figures are from a count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (including clerically held cases).

Credit Union Accounts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether benefit recipients may receive their benefits directly into a credit union account; and what agreement has been made with the Association of British Credit Unions concerning the necessary arrangements;
	(2)  what plans he has to enable recipients of pensions to use credit unions as the mechanism for direct payments of pensions; and what arrangements he has entered into with the Association of British Credit Unions on the arrangements for doing so.

Chris Pond: Benefit recipients may, at their request, have benefits paid into a Credit Union account. This is a change of approach by the Department, which until recently advised benefit recipients against payment of benefits direct into any Credit Union. The change reflects discussion with the Association of British Credit Unions that in some situations such payments will now meet the needs of benefit recipients.
	The agreement covers all Credit Unions in England, Scotland and Wales reflecting that all such unions are regulated by the Financial Services Authority and can hold money on behalf of others.
	Benefit recipients who request payment into a Credit Union account are normally asked to contact their individual Credit Union to discuss access arrangements before they finally decide if payment into a Credit Union is the appropriate account option for them.
	Not all Credit Unions will accept payments of benefits, because they do not have the ability to link funds paid into their central account quickly to individual accounts. Some are only open one or two days a week and are unable to provide the customer with access to their benefit on the day of entitlement.

Disability Discrimination Act

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what timetable he has set to extend the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to cover general qualifications.

Maria Eagle: The Government's indicative timetable for implementing provisions in the Disability Discrimination Bill was set out in their response to the Report of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee on the Draft Disability Discrimination Bill (Cm 6276). Since that document was published the Bill, which is currently before the House of Lords, has been revised to take account of the pre-legislative scrutiny process. In line with our timetable for implementing the Bill's provisions that would generally require the support of a Code of Practice, the intention is that the extension of the DDA to cover qualifications bodies offering general qualifications, which is a provision added since scrutiny, would come into force in December 2006.

Disability/Sickness Allowances

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the size range of the proposed (a) rehabilitation support allowance and (b) disability and sickness allowance are expected to be.

Maria Eagle: No specific size range has been set. However, people on the rehabilitation support allowance who participate in work-focused interviews and take steps to prepare for a return to work will receive a level of benefit higher than the current long-term rate of contributory incapacity benefit. People on the disability and sickness allowance will also receive a level of benefit higher than the current long-term rate but this will not be dependent on them taking steps to prepare for a return to work.

Gershon Review

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs he estimates will be lost on Merseyside as a result of the Gershon Review.

Maria Eagle: As part of the efficiency programme detailed business and staffing plans continue to be developed across the Department. At this stage it is therefore not possible to provide a figure for potential staff reductions that may occur across Merseyside.
	In the first phase of planning and as part of the ongoing modernisation of service delivery it has been decided that the Liverpool Pension Centre will no longer deal with Pension Service work after this financial year. Plans for the future of the Pension Centre site and staff have yet to be finalised.

Housing Benefit

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed housing benefit in each constituency in Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Pond: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many directives his Department has issued to local authorities regarding the processing of housing benefit in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how his Department measures the impact of the directives it issues on the processing of housing benefit by local authorities.

Chris Pond: Local authorities are obliged to administer housing benefit in accordance with the appropriate legislation. In order to assist them in this the Department provides them with a range of guidance material including the Housing Benefit Guidance Manual, which is updated regularly. We also issues circulars giving guidance on administration, subsidy and fraud. The number of such circulars issued in each year is shown in the table.
	
		Number of housing benefit circulars issued by DWP
		
			  Administrative Fraud Subsidy Total 
		
		
			 1997 58 21 5 84 
			 1998 60 21 8 89 
			 1999 54 19 8 81 
			 2000 53 15 5 73 
			 2001 53 25 8 86 
			 2002 34 29 8 71 
			 2003 40 29 11 80 
			 2004 35 10 8 53 
			 2005 (to date) 3 1 1 5 
		
	
	We monitor and measure local authority processing times through a range of Best Value Performance Indicators and statutory performance indicators. Local authorities provide quarterly statistical returns to the Department. These statistics show that new claims were processed, on average 12 days quicker in 2003–04 than in 2001–02. The second quarter of 2004–05 shows further improvements, with the average number of days to process new claims reducing from 50 days to 47 when compared to the same quarter of 2003–04.

Incapacity Benefit

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit in each constituency in Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		All incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disability allowance (SDA) claimants in Scotland by parliamentaryconstituency, at 31 August 2004
		
			  IB/SDA IB SDA 
		
		
			 Aberdeen Central 4,600 4,100 *400 
			 Aberdeen North 3,300 3,000 *300 
			 Aberdeen South 3,200 2,900 *400 
			 Airdrie and Shotts 7,200 6,500 700 
			 Angus 3,500 2,900 500 
			 Argyll and Bute 3,200 2,900 *400 
			 Ayr 4,000 3,300 700 
			 Banff and Buchan 4,600 3,900 700 
			 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 2,600 2,200 *400 
			 Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley 5,800 5,300 500 
			 Central Fife 5,600 4,900 700 
			 Clydebank and Milngavie 3,900 3,600 *300 
			 Clydesdale 6,100 5,200 900 
			 Coatbridge and Chryston 5,900 5,300 600 
			 Cumbernauld and Kilsyth 4,600 4,100 500 
			 Cunninghame North 4,000 3,600 500 
			 Cunninghame South 5,300 4,800 500 
			 Dumbarton 4,400 4,100 *300 
			 Dumfries 3,600 3,100 500 
			 Dundee East 5,300 4,500 800 
			 Dundee West 5,100 4,300 700 
			 Dunfermline East 4,800 4,300 500 
			 Dunfermline West 3,300 2,900 *400 
			 East Kilbride 4,000 3,700 *300 
			 East Lothian 4,000 3,500 *500 
			 Eastwood 3,600 3,200 *400 
			 Edinburgh Central 3,900 3,300 600 
			 Edinburgh East and Musselburgh 5,500 4,800 600 
			 Edinburgh North and Leith 4,400 3,900 *400 
			 Edinburgh Pentlands 3,300 2,900 *400 
			 Edinburgh South 3,400 2,700 700 
			 Edinburgh West 2,500 2,200 *400 
			 Falkirk East 4,200 3,700 500 
			 Falkirk West 4,600 4,100 600 
			 Galloway and Upper Nithsdale 3,800 3,400 *400 
			 Glasgow Anniesland 5,800 5,200 600 
			 Glasgow Baillieston 7,500 6,900 500 
			 Glasgow Cathcart 5,800 5,600 *300 
			 Glasgow Govan 5,900 5,500 *400 
			 Glasgow Kelvin 5,600 5,100 *400 
			 Glasgow Maryhill 7,700 7,200 500 
			 Glasgow Pollok 5,600 5,000 700 
			 Glasgow Rutherglen 6,000 5,600 *400 
			 Glasgow Shettleston 9,800 9,200 700 
			 Glasgow Springburn 8,000 7,400 600 
			 Gordon 2,400 2,100 *300 
			 Greenock and Inverclyde 5,100 4,700 *400 
			 Hamilton North and Bellshill 6,000 5,600 *400 
			 Hamilton South 5,100 4,600 500 
			 Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber 3,700 3,100 600 
			 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 5,100 4,500 600 
			 Kirkcaldy 3,900 3,400 500 
			 Linlithgow 4,500 3,900 500 
			 Livingston 4,800 4,300 500 
			 Midlothian 3,300 3,000 *300 
			 Moray 3,000 2,500 500 
			 Motherwell and Wishaw 5,800 5,300 600 
			 North East Fife 1,800 1,600 *200 
			 North Tayside 2,600 2,200 500 
			 Ochil 4,500 4,200 *300 
			 Orkney and Shetland 1,500 1,000 *400 
			 Paisley North 5,700 5,100 600 
			 Paisley South 4,900 4,500 *400 
			 Perth 3,800 3,300 500 
			 Ross, Skye and Inverness West 3,900 3,500 *300 
			 Roxburgh and Berwickshire 2,600 2,300 *300 
			 Stirling 3,500 3,000 *400 
			 Strathkelvin and Bearsden 3,400 2,900 500 
			 Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale 2,500 2,200 *300 
			 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 2,000 1,800 *200 
			 West Renfrewshire 4,300 3,900 *400 
			 Western Isles 1,200 1,100 *100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Figures include all incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance and incapacity benefit credits-only cases.
	3. Figures marked *" are based on very few sample cases and therefore subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample.

Incapacity Benefit

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit in each year from 1996.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants, in the quarters shown
		
			 As at August: Number 
		
		
			 1996 2,746,300 
			 1997 2,739,900 
			 1998 2,672,600 
			 1999 2,645,900 
			 2000 2,653,400 
			 2001 2,703,600 
			 2002 2,706,700 
			 2003 2,715,800 
			 2004 2,704,200 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. Figures include all incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and credits-only cases; they include a small number of claimants resident overseas.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. samples

Incapacity Benefit

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on (a) short-term incapacity benefit at the lower rate, (b) short-term incapacity benefit at the higher rate and (c) long-term incapacity benefit in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by constituency.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there are in each constituency in the County of Durham other than Easington.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows.
	
		All incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the requested parliamentary constituency at 31 August 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Bishop Auckland 6,200 
			 City of Durham 4,800 
			 Darlington 5,300 
			 North Durham 6,300 
			 North West Durham 5,500 
			 Sedgefield 6,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Figures include all incapacity benefit, severe disability Allowance and credits-only cases.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample.

Incapacity Benefit

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the change in benefit payments that will occur as a result of the replacement of incapacity benefit for some claimants (a) with the proposed rehabilitation support allowance and (b) with the proposed disability and sickness allowance.

Maria Eagle: Our intention is to replace incapacity benefits for new claimants to ensure people with health conditions and disabilities are helped to prepare for a return to the labour market wherever feasible.
	As part of this new regime claimants of the rehabilitation support allowance will be required to participate in work-focused interviews and take steps to prepare for a return to work. Fulfilling both these requirements would mean claimants receiving a level of benefit payment higher than the current long-term rate of contributory incapacity benefit. People on the disability and sickness allowance would also receive a level of benefit payment higher than the current long-term rate but this will not be dependent on them taking steps to prepare for a return to work.
	Specific payment rates for the future benefit regime have not yet been set. Overall expenditure implications of these new payments would depend on the rates set.

Official Residences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the official residences for which his Department is responsible; who occupies each one; what the annual cost is of running each property; what contribution the current occupants make towards the running costs of each; what the total capital and refurbishment expenditure has been on those properties in each of the past five years; how much money was spent in each property on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills and (e) electricity and gas in 2003–04; how many (i) domestic and (ii) maintenance staff are employed at each property, broken down by post; and what the total cost of staff employment at each was in 2003–04.

Maria Eagle: DWP is not responsible for any official residences.

Pathways to Work

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of the Pathways to Work projects in the year to March; and what the estimated cost will be in each of the subsequent four years.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		Pathways to Work projects
		
			  Estimated costs (£) 
		
		
			 2004–05 43,040,935 
			 2005–06 84,290,000 
			 2006–07 148,790,000 
			 2007–08 165,890,000 
			 2008–09 165,890,000

Pathways to Work

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average amount budgeted per claimant on Condition Management Schemes in the new Pathways to Work pilots is;
	(2)  how many claimants have gone on Condition Management Schemes in the new Pathways to Work pilots; and what the average spend per client is.

Maria Eagle: To November 2004, 2,731 customers had been referred to Condition Management programmes in the Pathways to Work pilots.
	The current average amount budgeted for individual incapacity benefit customers who enter the Pathways to Work Condition Management Programme is £1,500. Information concerning the average actual spend per client is not available.

Pathways to Work

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) voluntary and (b) private sector providers are contracted to provide services which aim to get and keep disabled people into work in (i) the areas in which the Pathways to Work programme is operating and (ii) the next set of areas into which the Pathways to Work programme will be rolled out, broken down by area.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		
			 Pathways to Work area Number of voluntary sector providers Number of private sector providers 
		
		
			 Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taff 3 5 
			 Derbyshire 3 4 
			 East Lancashire 1 2 
			 Essex 6 1 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 4 2 
			 Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute (40)6 4 
			 Somerset 3 5 
			 Total 26 23 
		
	
	(40) Includes two voluntary bodies that cover the whole of Scotland.
	There are also four Workstep national providers, classed as voluntary and charity run, and 52 New Deal for Disabled People providers whose service across the country includes the Pathways to Work pilot areas.
	It is not possible to provide specific information for the 14 additional Pathways to Work districts, as services and contracts are still to be agreed.

Advance Payments (Bank Holidays)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons pension allowances due to be paid on bank holidays over the Christmas period were not paid before Christmas; and what steps he will take to ensure that payment of allowances is not delayed during the next holiday period.

Chris Pond: The vast majority of customers who were due to be paid on bank holidays over the Christmas and new year period received payments in advance as planned. An IT failure resulted in some of the customers who were due payment on 3 January not receiving the advance payment that we had planned for 31 December. These customers were paid on 5 January. We have worked with our IT partners to improve the payment system. We are thoroughly testing the proposed solution to ensure payments are advanced appropriately for forthcoming holiday periods.

Pension Credit

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive pension credit in the Easington constituency.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on numbers of households and individuals in receipt of pension credit in each constituency at 31 December 2004 is contained in the most recent quarterly pension credit progress report, which was published on 3 February. A copy of the report is in the Library.

Pension Credit

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington, North are receiving pension credit; and what the average award is.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on numbers of households and individuals in receipt of pension credit in each constituency at 31 December 2004, with the average award, is contained in the most recent quarterly pension credit progress report published on 3 February. A copy of the report is in the Library.

Pension Credit

Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Blyth Valley were receiving (a) pension credit and (b) winter fuel payments on the latest date for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on numbers of households and individuals in receipt of pension credit in each constituency at 31 December 2004 is contained in the most recent quarterly pension credit progress report, which was published on 3 February. A copy of the report is in the Library. Information on the number of people who received winter fuel payments for winter 2003–04 in Blyth Valley is also available in the Library.

Pension Credit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how long he plans to retain pension credit; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government want all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement and to share fairly in the rising prosperity of the country. We are always thinking about how financial support to pensioners could be improved.
	We need to provide a balance between providing a solid foundation of support, while targeting help to those who need it most—the poorest pensioners. Pension credit is an integral part of that strategy. Our priority now is to work towards at least 3 million households receiving pension credit by 2006.

Pensioner Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners were living below the poverty line in each of the last 30 years.

Malcolm Wicks: Poverty is about more than low income; it also impacts on the way people live—their health, housing and the quality of their environment. The sixth annual Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6239), published in September 2004, sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.
	Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2002–03. These publications are available in the Library.
	The following table sets out available information on the percentage and number of pensioners living in households with income less than 60 per cent. of median (before and after housing costs). As the IPS has noted, pensioners
	are no longer any more likely to be poor than non-pensioners, measuring incomes after housing costs."
	
		
			  Before housing costs After housing costs 
			  Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage 
		
		
			 Based on the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) 
			 1979 2.5 28 2.6 28 
			 1981 1.5 16 1.9 20 
			 1987 2.4 24 2.7 27 
			 1988–89 3.3 33 3.8 39 
			 1990–91 3.3 32 3.6 36 
			 1991–92 2.9 28 3.3 32 
			 1992–93 2.5 24 3.0 29 
			 1993–94 2.2 22 2.8 27 
			 1994–95 2.1 21 2.7 27 
			 1995–96 2.2 21 2.8 28 
			  
			 Based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS) 
			 1994–95 2.1 21 2.7 27 
			 1995–96 2.2 22 2.5 25 
			 1996–97 2.1 21 2.7 27 
			 1997–98 2.2 22 2.7 27 
			 1998–99 2.3 23 2.7 27 
			 1999–2000 2.2 22 2.5 25 
			 2000–01 2.1 21 2.4 24 
			 2001–02 2.2 22 2.2 22 
			 2002–03 2.1 21 2.2 21 
		
	
	Family Expenditure Survey (FES) figures are for the United Kingdom, Family Resources Survey (FRS) figures are for Great Britain. The reference period for FRS figures is single financial years. FES figures are single calendar years from 1979–87, two combined calendar years from 1998–89 to 1992–93 and two financial years combined from 1993–94 to 1995–96. Because of differences between the two surveys results are not strictly comparable.

Sure Start

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Pendle have received the Sure Start maternity grant.

Chris Pond: The information is not available in the format requested; the available information is in the table.
	
		Sure Start maternity grant (SSMG) awards for Greater Manchester Lancashire Social Fund District/East Lancashire Jobcentre Plus District
		
			  Awards 
		
		
			 2000–01 2,405 
			 2001–02 2,998 
			 2002–03 3,452 
			 2003–04 3,539 
			 2004–05 2,991 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. SSMGs were introduced on 27 March 2000. The very small number of cases for 1999–2000 has been excluded for data protection reasons.
	2. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency, but only by District.
	3. Pendle parliamentary constituency is part of East Lancashire Jobcentre Plus District, which was previously called Greater Manchester Lancashire Social Fund District.
	4. Data is given for all awards, irrespective of whether the award was made to the mother or her partner.
	Source:
	DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Thalidomide Trust

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will alter the rules relating to income support so as to allow recipients of grants from the Thalidomide Trust to spend such grants on ongoing household expenses without losing their income support entitlement;
	(2)  if he will alter the rules relating to (a) income support, (b) care funding and (c) the Independent Living Fund to allow recipients of grants from the Thalidomide Trust to take their full entitlement to such grants at the beginning of the year without losing their entitlement to those benefits.

Chris Pond: Payments to beneficiaries of the Thalidomide Trust are treated in the same way as other personal injury payments for income-related benefits, including income support. Capital that is placed in trust for an individual can be disregarded. Income from an individual's trust can also be disregarded as long as the income is used for items other than food, ordinary clothing or footwear, household fuel, rent or rates, certain housing costs or water charges other than day-to-day living expenses. These items are provided for by income-related benefits.
	The Independent Living Funds broadly follow income support policy on this issue. Independent Living Fund payments are intended to provide for personal care and domestic assistance. Therefore, income from an individual's trust can be disregarded as long as no part of the income is used for personal care or domestic assistance.
	The financial assessment for residential accommodation is assessed by local authority social services, taking into account the Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide issued by the Department of Health. Payments from the Thalidomide Trust are taken into account in the same way as they are for assessing income-related benefits.
	For home care charges, social services have a minimum requirement to follow the Fairer Charging for Home Care and other non-residential social services guidance, issued to local authorities by the Department of Health in 2001, but can be more generous if they wish.
	We recently received representations regarding the treatment of payments to the Thalidomide Trust's beneficiaries, and to ensure the matters raised receive the appropriate consideration, a meeting has been arranged with the Director of the Thalidomide Trust.

Winter Fuel Payment (Stockton, South)

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in each electoral ward in Stockton, South constituency claimed winter fuel allowance in 2003–04; and how many have claimed the allowance in 2004–05;
	(2)  how many people in each ward of Stockton, South claimed winter fuel allowance in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of people in each electoral ward in Stockton, South who received a winter fuel payment in winter 2003–04 is in the following table. Figures are not yet available for winter 2004–05 but we expect the numbers to be similar.
	
		
			 Ward Winter fuel payment recipients 
		
		
			 Bishopsgarth 1,540 
			 Egglescliffe 1,740 
			 Elm Tree 1,230 
			 Fairfield 1,210 
			 Grangefield 905 
			 Hartburn 1,670 
			 Ingleby Barwick 1,425 
			 Mandate 1,055 
			 Parkfield 835 
			 Preston 645 
			 Stainsby 1,065 
			 Victoria 900 
			 Village 1,315 
			 Yarm 1,545 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All wards based on census wards—those current as at April 2003.
	2. WFP data is the latest currently available, winter 2003–04.
	3. All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of 5.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre

Workstep Scheme

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many programmes under the Workstep Scheme have (a) failed their audit and (b) been subject to re-audit.

Maria Eagle: Up to the 27 January 2005, 76 Workstep providers have been inspected by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI). Of those, 41 providers failed their ALI inspection, 15 have been re-inspected and of those re-inspections, 12 passed, one failed and two are waiting to be informed of the outcome. A further 19 re-inspections are scheduled to be completed in the coming year.

Workstep Scheme

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost per client of the Workstep scheme was in the last period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: During 2003–04, the Workstep programme received £189.2 million of Government funding and supported 31,632 disabled people, representing an average cost of £5,981 per supported employee.

Workstep Scheme

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent changes have been made in the provision of funds for training for the Workstep programme; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: There has been one recent change to Workstep funding arrangements. From 1 April 2004, the payment to providers for each participant in a Workstep placement was increased to £400 per calendar month for all participants working 21 hours or more per week. This change ensured that providers received the same monthly amount for those people new to Workstep as they did for those carried forward from the old Supported Employment programme.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Housing

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses he expects will be built in the Southend area under his plans for housing development in the south-east of England.

Phil Hope: It will be for the current review of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England to determine how many homes should be built in the Southend area.

Housing

Dari Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to increase investment in modernising publicly owned homes.

Keith Hill: Since 1997, investment in existing council homes has been significantly increased. By 2004 councils were spending 13 per cent. more in real terms than 1997. In addition £6 billion has so far been made available to set up Arms Length Management Organisations and Private Finance Initiatives. £5.3 billion has been levered in from the private sector through stock transfer.

Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to build more affordable accommodation over the next five years.

Keith Hill: Sustainable Communities: Homes for All" sets out the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's plans to deliver more affordable housing over the next five years. Measures include assisting over 80,000 first time buyers and keyworkers to achieve their home ownership aspirations, and through investment and efficiency savings to deliver 75,000 social rented homes by 2008.

Housing

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on housing allocations for the south-east.

Keith Hill: Housing allocations are currently set out in Regional Planning Guidance for the south-east (RPG9), published in March 2001, and partially updated during 2004.
	There is a statutory planning process for reviewing the housing figures. At this stage the South East England Regional Assembly is responsible for examining alternative spatial options for the future development of the south-east. It would not be right for us to pre-empt the outcome of their consultation and the Examination in Public that will follow. Therefore Government will not make a statement about revised housing figures at this stage.

Housing

John Cummings: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to improve the quality of existing homes.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has set a target to ensure all homes in the social sector meet the decent homes standard by 2010, and to increase the proportion of vulnerable households living in decent homes in the private sector. We are implementing policies to achieve this target.

Housing

Gary Streeter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable houses were built in (a) Plymouth and (b) Devon in 2004.

Keith Hill: The total number of affordable homes provided in 2003–04 through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme (ADP), the transitional Local Authority Social Housing Grant and Starter Home Initiative for Plymouth and Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay) are tabled:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Devon 457 
			 Of which: Plymouth 81 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Corporation
	These figures include acquisitions and refurbishments as well as new build.

Housing

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the affordable housing schemes funded in Milton Keynes in each of the last three years indicating (a) the numbers of units in each location and (b) how many units in each scheme are for key workers.

Keith Hill: During the three-year period between 2001–02 to 2003–04 there were a total of 1,152 affordable dwellings funded in Milton Keynes at a cost of £23,090,000 of which 516 were for key workers. In addition, funding of £14,959,000 has been allocated for the 2004–06 period, which is expected to fund 881 affordable dwellings of which 330 should be for key worker provision.
	A detailed breakdown of schemes and funding for each year has been made available in the Library of the House.

Housing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many non-decent council homes there are in Crosby; and how many there were in 1997.

Keith Hill: The information requested is submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister according to housing authority areas rather than districts within an area. Crosby is a district of Sefton. In 2004 Sefton reported to have 7936 non-decent council homes. Figures are not available for 1997, as the Decent Homes Standard was not introduced until 2001.

Regional Spatial Strategy (North-East)

Alan Beith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role his Department has had in the preparation and approval of the regional spatial strategy for the north-east.

Nick Raynsford: The Government Office for the North East, on behalf of the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, has provided advice and guidance to the North East Assembly (as Regional Planning Body) during the preparation of the draft Regional Spatial Strategy. This is currently out for consultation, and will be formally submitted to my right hon. Friend in March 2005.

Fire Service (Scotland)

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has had with Scottish Executive Ministers regarding fire service pay.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has had no such discussions since the June 2003 pay and modernisation agreement was signed, other than to discuss the UK-wide approach to any use of the powers contained in sections 32 and 33 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004.

Area Cost Adjustment

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will undertake a review of the methodology used to calculate Area Cost Adjustment.

Nick Raynsford: The current Area Cost Adjustment has been in place since 2003–04. While it is generally recognised to be an improvement on the previous arrangements for reflecting additional costs to local government arising from wage differentials, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware of the concerns about its impact expressed by some authorities. We will therefore be ready to discuss with local government the case for a review of the ACA alongside other priorities for the forthcoming formulae review.

Consents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the consent (a) requests and (b) permissions from local authorities which his Department has (i) accepted and (ii) refused in the most recent full year for which figures are available.

Nick Raynsford: A comprehensive review of local authority consent regimes was undertaken by an efficiency scrutiny in 1997. The following table contains the consent requirements identified in the scrutiny which are the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The table sets out for those regimes the number of requests made to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for consent, and the number granted, during the financial year 2003–04.
	
		
			 Description Legislative reference Number of requests Number granted 
		
		
			 Power to consent to the delegation of housing management to an agent Housing Act 1985 s.27 (as substituted by Housing and Planning Act 1986 s.10 and amended by Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 s.129) 40 36 
			 
			 Powers to consent to the disposal of council-owned housing and housing land; and to consent to local authority assistance for privately let housing Housing Act 1985 s.32; also Local Government Act 1972 s.32, Housing Act 1985 ss.19 and 43 leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, s.135 Local Government Act 1988 s.25 130 130 
			 
			 Power to approve a variation of the model registration scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation Housing Act 1985 s.346B(4) (as amended by Housing Act 1996 s.65) 3 3 
			 
			 Power to set statutory upper limits on Defective Housing grants, but also to relax those limits in certain circumstances Housing Act 1985, s.543(4) (as amended by s166 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989)—The Housing Defects (Expenditure Limits) Order 1992 (SI 1992 No.446) 0 0 
			 
			 Relates to the application of additional conditions for housing renewal and disabled facilities grants, and to alter the 'required proportion' of flats in a block in order to qualify for a common parts grant Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 s.34(6)(b) and s.14(3)(b) 0 0 
			 
			 Relates to non-recovery of housing renewal grants on a relevant disposal, and to imposition of conditions, including requiring pursuit of other compensation, on housing renewal and disabled facilities grants Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, ss.45(4), 46(4), 47(4), s.51(l) and s.52(l) 2 2 
			 
			 Approval of various arrangements relating to group repair schemes Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, s.63(l) and s.68(2) 0 0 
			 Control over Areas of Special Control of Advertisements (ASCAs) Town and County Planning Act 1990 ss.220, 221, 223(1), 224(3) and 331(1). Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992 No. 666) Reg. 18 as amended by Town and Country Planning Act (Control of Advertisements) Amendment Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No. 2351) 2 2 
			 
			 Preparing proposals for the alteration or the replacement of a development plan, if it or any part of it has been previously approved by the Secretary of State Town and Country Planning Act 1990, ss.21(1B), 32(3), and 39(3) (as amended by Planning and Compensation Act 1991). Town and Country Planning Act (Development Plan) Regulations, 1991 0 0 
			 
			 Three powers to confirm various orders revoking, modifying or otherwise affecting planning permissions or existing uses of land or existing buildings or works Town and Country Planning Act 1990, ss. 94, 95, 97, 98 and 102 31 23 
			 
			 Requirement on local authorities to obtain Secretary of State's confirmation of orders revoking or modifying previous consents granted under tree preservation orders Third schedule of the model form of tree preservation order in Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation Order) Regulations 1969 0 0 
			 
			 A power to consent to capitalisation of redundancy costs Local Government and Housing Act 1989 s.40(6) 44 40 
			 
			 Provision by local authorities of advice and assistance to overseas bodies (s.l(3) Local Government (Overseas Assistance) Act 1993) Local Government (Overseas Assistance) Act 1993, s.1(3) 0 0 
			 
			 Disposal of land at less than best consideration Local Government Act 1972, s.123 and 127 Town and Country Planning Act 1990, s.233 4 4 
			 
			 A power to consent to the sale or appropriation of statutory allotment land, or its use for other purposes Allotments Act 1925 s.8 45 20 
			 
			 Reductions in a Fire Authority's establishment scheme Fire Services Act 1947, s.19(4) as amended by Fire Services Act 1959 9 9

Consents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to change the consent regimes that regulate the activities of local government.

Nick Raynsford: As part of the Government's commitment to reduce bureaucracy for local authorities, we announced in 2002 a programme to deregulate 86 consent powers. We have identified further regimes since then where deregulation is planned to take place. We have so far deregulated 63 powers and have plans to deregulate a further 28. Listed as follows are the consent regimes which Government have plans to deregulate:
	
		
			 Description Legislative reference Number of powers 
		
		
			 Amalgamation of hackney carriage licence zones Local Government Act 1972, schedule 14 para. 25(4) 1 
			
			 Approval of LEA's complaints procedure Education Act 1996, s.409 and paragraph 6(3) of schedule 1 2 
			
			 Instituting prosecutions for publishing certain advertisements concerning cancer treatment Cancer Act 1939, s.4(6) 1 
			
			 Provision by local authorities of advice and assistance to overseas bodies (s.1(3) Local Government (Overseas Bodies) Act 1993) Local Government (Overseas Bodies) Act 1993, s.l (3) 1 
			
			 Certain minority interests in certain companies. s.71(2) Local Government and Housing Act 1989 Local Government and Housing Act 1989, s.71(2) 1 
			
			 Approval of aspects of the registration service Registration Service Act 1953, s.8(l) 3 
			  Registration Service Act 1953, s.10  
			  Registration Service Act 1953, s.14(4)  
			   
			 Fixing traffic signs not specified in regulations Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 s.65 (as amended by sch. 8 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991) 1 
			
			 Restricting vehicle access in London City of London Various Powers Act 1963 s.33 1 
			
			 Provision and declaration of walkways in London City of London Various Powers Act 1967 s.6 and Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1969 s.11 2 
			
			 Extending experimental Traffic Regulation Orders in London Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.9 1 
			
			 Extension of temporary orders Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.l5 1 
			
			 Provision of off-street parking for over 12 months on land compulsorily acquired for another purpose Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.40(3) 1 
			
			 Special events order Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.16B (inserted by Road Traffic (Special Events) Act 1994) 1 
			
			 Stopping or diverting highways in connection with development/amenity improvement Town and Country Planning Act 1990, s.247, 248 and 249 2 
			
			 Determine an inter-authority dispute over a permanent border Local Government Act 1985, s.5 1 
			
			 Traffic Regulation Orders limiting vehicle access to premises and stopping up private access Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, sch.9(13–14) 2 
			  Highways Act 1980, ss. 124–125  
			
			 Approval of the appointment of Coroners within Greater London, Metropolitan Counties and Berkshire Coroners Act 1988, s.1(2) 1 
			
			 Appoint medical referees and deputies as nominated by cremation authorities Cremation Regulations 1930, reg. 10 1 
			
			 A power to approve the alteration of Coroner's district boundaries Coroners Act 1988 s.4(2) 1 
			  Coroners (Orders as to Districts) Rules 1927  
			
			 Notification of agricultural operations on moor and heath in National Parks (to secure a temporary stopping order) Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, s.42 1 
			
			 Powers to consent to the disposal of council-owned housing and housing land; and to consent to local authority assistance for privately let housing Housing Act 1985 s.32; also Local Government Act 1972 s.132, Housing Act 1985 ss.19 and 43, Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 s.129 2 
			  Local Government Act 1988 s.25

Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter dated 29 March 2004 from the hon. Member for Brent, East regarding Ms Kate Stone.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no record of receiving the hon. Member's letter of 29 March 2004. Officials have now obtained a copy of the letter from the hon. Member and a reply will be sent shortly.

Council Tax (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of council tax has been collected in each Greater London borough in each year since 1997; and what the total cost of administering council tax collection was in each year.

Nick Raynsford: Listed in the following table are the reported in-year council tax collection rates for each London borough and the City of London for each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04. Figures for 2004–05 are not yet available. The collection of council tax continues after the end of the financial year to which it relates. This means that the percentage of council tax ultimately collected for any financial year is greater than that shown in the table.
	
		In-year council tax collection rates(41)(percentage)
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Inner London:
			 City of London 97.5 97.4 98.2 98.3 98.4 97.6 98.2 
			 Camden 88.5 91.1 92.3 92.7 93.5 92.7 93.4 
			 Greenwich 92.2 92.2 91.3 92.2 92.0 92.8 93.3 
			 Hackney 78.1 74.5 67.9 67.8 74.0 79.5 79.3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 89.1 92.3 93.2 93.8 94.5 95.1 95.2 
			 Islington 88.3 88.9 90.2 90.0 91.5 88.4 90.5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 94.9 95.2 95.6 96.0 95.6 95.6 95.5 
			 Lambeth 80.3 80.3 84.4 82.0 86.5 90.1 88.7 
			 Lewisham 90.6 90.6 92.0 93.3 93.7 93.7 93.7 
			 Southwark 81.9 81.3 80.2 87.1 90.2 92.0 92.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 86.7 88.1 88.3 89.3 90.7 91.8 92.5 
			 Wandsworth 90.9 91.4 92.8 94.0 94.5 94.8 94.9 
			 Westminster 92.6 93.7 92.9 91.8 93.0 93.5 93.1 
			 Average Inner London 88.0 88.5 88.7 89.6 91.1 91.9 92.0 
			 
			 Outer London:
			 Barking and Dagenham 95.0 95.3 94.7 94.0 94.5 91.8 92.0 
			 Barnet 95.1 95.3 95.6 95.8 96.2 96.2 95.5 
			 Bexley 94.5 94.2 94.9 95.4 95.7 96.0 95.9 
			 Brent 89.5 91.4 90.4 92.0 91.1 89.5 90.6 
			 Bromley 97.4 97.0 96.3 96.6 96.5 96.4 96.8 
			 Croydon 92.4 92.8 91.7 91.9 93.9 94.7 93.3 
			 Ealing 94.8 94.9 94.4 93.4 94.1 94.6 95.4 
			 Enfield 91.8 93.5 93.7 94.4 94.6 94.6 95.0 
			 Haringey 82.3 85.0 85.1 88.8 90.1 92.5 93.1 
			 Harrow 96.9 96.8 96.2 98.2 98.6 97.2 98.0 
			 Havering 97.7 96.8 95.6 96.4 96.1 95.9 96.4 
			 Hillingdon 95.0 95.7 95.0 95.6 96.5 95.2 95.2 
			 Hounslow 91.9 91.4 93.4 94.0 93.9 93.8 93.0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 93.9 91.9 93.7 94.0 95.9 96.5 96.6 
			 Merton 95.5 95.1 95.2 95.7 95.6 96.5 96.6 
			 Newham 82.0 83.1 83.3 84.9 86.8 90.0 91.0 
			 Redbridge 96.1 96.1 95.7 95.5 95.7 95.7 95.6 
			 Richmond upon Thames 97.3 96.2 96.7 97.0 97.6 97.6 97.9 
			 Sutton 97.4 97.0 97.3 97.3 97.3 97.3 98.3 
			 Waltham Forest 91.8 87.8 87.7 88.0 90.6 93.0 89.7 
			 Average Outer London 93.8 93.9 93.7 94.3 94.9 95.0 95.0 
			 Average Greater London 91.8 92.1 92.1 92.8 93.7 94.1 94.1 
		
	
	(41) Amount of council tax due received by the end of the financial year as a percentage of the net collectable debit for the year.
	Source:
	QRC4 returns
	Listed in the following table are the reported council tax collection costs for each London borough and the City of London for each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05.
	
		Council tax collection costs 
		
			 (£000) 
			  Outturn Budgets 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Inner London: 
			 City of London 301 286 281 270 257 326 481 841 
			 Camden 2,143 2,052 1,737 2,116 2,170 2,323 2,904 2,751 
			 Greenwich 2,460 2,365 2,284 2,330 2,330 2,366 2,541 2,601 
			 Hackney 2,434 1,999 2,180 2,292 4,964 3,984 2,364 2,603 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,009 1,610 1,537 997 1,503 1,348 1,243 940 
			 Islington 1,822 1,786 1,442 156 1,662 2,117 2,375 2,395 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,795 1,762 1,839 1,996 1,831 1,719 1,962 1,786 
			 Lambeth 3,932 3,299 3,396 3,245 2,122 2,859 2,276 2,721 
			 Lewisham 2,439 2,543 2,356 2,518 2,522 2,685 5,118 4,016 
			 Southwark 3,276 3,324 3,647 3,482 3,792 4,010 4,280 4,896 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,069 2,435 2,150 2,037 1,951 1,904 1,956 2,180 
			 Wandswoith 1,662 1,685 1,658 1,461 1,771 2,004 2,007 2,002 
			 Westminster 2,265 2,205 2,455 2,190 2,066 2,543 2,584 2,353 
			 Total Inner London 28,607 27,351 26,962 25,090 28,941 30,188 32,091 32,085 
			  
			 Outer London: 
			 Barking and Dagenham 887 820 869 810 809 861 1,018 1,166 
			 Bamet 1,597 1,711 1,977 1,822 2,040 2,177 2,489 2,730 
			 Bexley 625 548 536 475 515 452 718 376 
			 Brent 2,315 2,199 2,291 3,083 390 291 3,170 2,924 
			 Bromley 1,459 1,465 1,213 1,180 1,221 937 784 835 
			 Croydon 2,509 2,622 2,688 2,933 3,032 2,772 3,683 4,101 
			 Ealing 2,651 2,520 2,635 2,888 3,089 3,370 4,293 4,035 
			 Enfield 2,132 1,697 1,709 1,709 1,789 1,940 1,037 2,524 
			 Haringey 2,571 2,843 2,666 2,534 2,460 2,464 2,888 3,193 
			 Harrow 1,126 1,124 876 860 811 709 673 681 
			 Havering 1,731 2,052 2,627 2,554 1,555 1,965 2,514 2,337 
			 Hillingdon 1,830 1,891 1,865 2,053 2,221 1,737 2,242 2,222 
			 Hounslow 1,717 1,833 1,790 1,678 2,183 2,245 2,338 2,392 
			 Kingston upon Thames 681 741 801 963 985 1,198 1,131 972 
			 Merton 1,662 1,707 1,677 1,856 1,429 1,913 2,213 2,156 
			 Newham 1,622 1,911 1,620 1,398 1,749 1,817 1,705 1,587 
			 Redbridge 2,041 1,994 1,868 1,725 1,800 1,832 1,827 1,482 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,251 1,170 1,082 1,146 1,001 1,426 1,525 1,627 
			 Sutton 792 681 658 728 860 883 902 977 
			 Waltham Forest 2,367 2,522 2,169 1,879 2,478 3,178 2,968 3,288 
			 Total Outer London 33,566 34,051 33,617 34,274 32,417 34,167 40,118 41,605 
			 Total Greater London 62,173 61,402 60,579 59,364 61,358 64,355 72,209 73,690 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures for 2003–04 and 2004–05 differ from those for the earlier years in that they are budget, rather than outturn, figures, and because they also include: (a) non-domestic rates collection costs in excess of the allowance made against contributions to the pool; (b) the costs of collection of domestic and non-domestic rates due for the period up to 31 March 1990; and (c) the costs of collection of community charges. Outturn figures for 2002–03 indicate however, that council tax collection costs accounted for almost 97 per cent. of the combined total nationally.
	Source:
	RO6 returns (1997–98 to 2002–03) and RA returns (2003–04 and 2004–05)

Council Tax (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the total amount of unpaid council tax in each borough in Greater London in each year since 1997.

Nick Raynsford: Consistent information on the level of council tax arrears for individual local authorities is not currently available.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. Running costs incurred since that date are in the following table. VAT is included where this is appropriate.
	
		(a) Electricity costs incurred by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04
		
			 £000 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister(42) 941 886 
			 QEII Conference Centre 229 330 
			 Total 1,170 1,216 
		
	
	(42) Including Fire Service College and PINS
	The increase in electrical consumption is due mostly to a rise in occupational density throughout the estate, which has resulted in increased air conditioning systems and IT equipment use in the buildings.
	The energy used in the QEII Conference Centre is dependent on the commercial activities undertaken. Recent refurbishment of the air conditioning systems should improve the Centre's overall efficiency.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is investigating options for reducing energy consumption across the estate. Surveys of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's main office buildings are being undertaken and action plans for fuel reduction produced.
	
		(b) Water and sewage costs incurred by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04
		
			 £000 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 29 32 
			 Agencies 107 121 
			 Total 136 153 
		
	
	
		(c) Gas costs incurred by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04
		
			 £000 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister(43) 357 406 
			 QEII Conference Centre 43 62 
			 Total 400 468 
		
	
	(43) Including agencies.
	Increased use of the two gas-fired Combined Heat and Power installations in the HQ estate has also resulted in an increased use of gas. Heating fuel costs have risen by 15 per cent., mainly due to a 9 per cent. increase in gas prices.
	
		(d) Telephony costs incurred by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04
		
			 £000 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 1,073 1,647 
			 Agencies N/a 138 
			 Total 1,073 1,785 
		
	
	Information on telephony costs in 2002/03 for agencies of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not available.
	For part (e) , information on mobile phones used by officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	For part (f) , in 2003–04, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent £19,800 on cable and satellite subscriptions. No figures are available for 2002–03.
	This answer excludes the buildings occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Directors' Awayday

Damian Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of his 2004 Office's Directors' Awayday in Southampton.

Yvette Cooper: The cost of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's 2004 Directors' Awayday in Southampton was £7,901.15. This includes 24-hour full board, meeting room hire and transport costs during the event. The event involved senior staff from across the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister together meeting local authorities and other local and regional stakeholders to discuss the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's delivery issues.

Electoral Fraud

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to minimise the possibilities for electoral fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Government are committed to a programme of electoral modernisation, integral to which is the maintenance and development of safeguards to prevent electoral fraud and maintain the public's confidence in the electoral system. To carry forward this programme, we will continue to encourage local authorities to pilot electoral innovations and to consider carefully the Electoral Commission's evaluations of those pilots.

High Hedges

Adrian Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when local authorities will be able to implement powers within the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2004 relating to high hedges.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to bring the powers within the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 relating to high hedges into effect early this year. At that point local authorities will be able to consider complaints about high hedges where the parties are unable to agree a solution.
	Before the legislation can be brought into operation, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister needs to put in place Regulations governing certain procedural matters (such as the arrangements for appealing against the local authority's decision) and issue guidance on its practical implementation. We are currently revising the Regulations and guidance in the light of responses to the public consultation carried out last summer.

Household Electrical Supplies

Chris Grayling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes he has made that have not yet come into force to the regulations covering household electrical supplies and systems and those who maintain them; and when such changes will come into force.

Phil Hope: Safety requirements for electrical installation work in dwellings, introduced as Part P of the Building Regulations, came into force on 1 January 2005. Electrical installation work contracted for or started by 31 December 2004 will not fall within the new requirements so long as it is completed by 31 March 2005.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Joan Humble: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much in contributions was paid into the Local Government Pension Scheme by employees in England and Wales in each year between 1997 and 2003.

Phil Hope: The amount of contributions paid into the Local Government Pension Scheme by employees in England and Wales in the seven years between 1997–98 and 2003–04 is tabled as follows.
	
		Contributions paid into the Local Government Pension Scheme by employees in England and Wales between 1997–98 and 2003–04
		
			  Employee contributions (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 974 
			 1998–99 1,010 
			 1999–2000 1,067 
			 2000–01 1,131 
			 2001–02 1,214 
			 2002–03 1,311 
			 2003–04 1,426 
		
	
	Source:
	ODPM SF3 returns

Local Government Pension Scheme

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of employees in England and Wales who will qualify for retirement under the 85-year rule of the Local Government Pension Scheme in each year to 2015; and what estimate he has made of the number of employees who would be affected by the removal of the 85-year rule in each year.

Phil Hope: Data in this format and over this time period is not held centrally, nor is it held by the 89 funds which administer the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The 85-year rule is not a qualifying condition which conveys a right to retire. It merely determines whether and to what extent an actuarial reduction to a pension will apply.
	An actuarial assessment was made of the overall cost impact of the 85-year rule based on percentage of work force covered by it, and its removal, with transitional protection, produces a saving of some £200 million per year.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many members of the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales retired before the age of 55 in each year since 1997.

Phil Hope: Details of the actual numbers of retirements from the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, and the reasons they occurred, are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Planning

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the effects of the Human Rights Act 1998 on planning enforcement.

Keith Hill: The Human Rights Act requires local planning authorities, planning inspectors and the Secretary of State, my right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, when taking planning decisions, including enforcement decisions, to act compatibly with the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. Each case is decided on its individual merits.

Regeneration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his aims were for the conference on regenerating UK towns and cities held in Manchester on 31 January.

Keith Hill: The summit provided an opportunity for over 2,000 delegates and speakers from the United Kingdom and abroad to share ideas and experiences and to build broader and deeper partnerships for delivering sustainable communities.

Regional Assemblies

Anthony Steen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff are employed in each regional assembly; how much funding from council tax went to each regional assembly in 2003–04; and how much public funding the South West Regional Assembly has received since it was established.

Nick Raynsford: Regional Assemblies employed the equivalent of 301.7 full-time staff at the end of March 2004 as detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Regional assembly Staff employed (at end of March 2004) 
		
		
			 East 38.5 
			 East Midlands 21 
			 North East 28 
			 North West 78 
			 South East 32 
			 South West 56 
			 West Midlands 11 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 37.2 
			 Total 301.7 
		
	
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister made grants totalling £4,814,000 to the South West Regional Assembly from April 2001 to date.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold any information relating to how much council tax funding went to each regional assembly in 2003–04 and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Right to Buy (Pendle)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes have been sold under the right to buy in Pendle in each year since 1990.

Keith Hill: Annual figures of council right to buy sales for Pendle since 1990–91 as reported by the local authority are tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1990–91 137 
			 1991–92 51 
			 1992–93 52 
			 1993–94 57 
			 1994–95 50 
			 1995–96 37 
			 1996–97 34 
			 1997–98 28 
			 1998–99 46 
			 1999–2000 64 
			 2000–01 58 
			 2001–02 70 
			 2002–03 112 
			 2003–04 143 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly returns on council house sales (P1B) from local authorities to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Sand Reserves (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what sand reserves are recorded in the Lancashire Structural Plan; where deposits are located; and what planning guidelines apply to (a) sand quarries and (b) sand extraction.

Keith Hill: The draft Replacement Lancashire Structure Plan, due for adoption in March 2005, does not record sand and gravel reserves or future requirements. However, the Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan, adopted in December 2001, requires the release of 3.2 million tonnes by 2006. The local plan identifies three areas of search, which are:
	North and West of Preston;
	The Lower Ribble Valley; and
	The Leyland-Chorley area.
	The returns to the North West Aggregates Working Party for 2003 show that there are 3.54 million tonnes of permitted reserves at the three working sand quarries in the county. The national context for sand extraction is given by Minerals Planning Guidance Note 6, revised in 2004. It sets out a regional apportionment, of which Lancashire's share is 15 per cent., or 8.2 million tonnes.
	Planning policy in relation to sand quarries and sand extraction is given at a national level by Minerals Planning Guidance Note 1 (currently being revised as Minerals Planning Statement 1: Planning and Minerals). Sand extraction is covered by MPG 6, referred to above. The draft Replacement Lancashire Structure Plan has a policy (26) on Provision for working minerals" which covers all aspects of minerals' working in overall terms; more detail is provided by the Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan, which contains policies relating to:
	Safeguarding Mineral Resources;
	Mineral Consultation Areas;
	Prior Extraction;
	Concurrent Working; and
	Conservation of High Quality Material.

Travellers (London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many illegal encampments of Travellers there are on private land within the Greater London area.

Yvette Cooper: The bi-annual Count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans, which is carried out by local authorities on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, does not differentiate between unauthorised encampments on public and private land. It does however distinguish between the number of caravans on unauthorised encampments and those on unauthorised developments of Gypsies' own land without planning permission, As at July 2004, the latest date for which published information is available, the number of caravans on unauthorised encampments in the Greater London area was 101, and the number on unauthorised developments was 108.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Properties

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise.

David Miliband: The total number of properties held by the Cabinet Office as at 1 December 2004 was 41. The total area (net internal area) of all those properties comprised some 84,501 m 2 . As at the 1 December 2004 one lease hold property (consisting of 994 m 2 ) was vacant. The lease on that property has now expired and has not been renewed.

Directgov Website

Richard Allan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish detailed visitor activity logs for the Directgov website.

David Miliband: Directgov received over 1.1 million visits in January 2005. Independent usage tracking by Hitwise" rated Directgov in the top 10 of most visited UK government websites in four of the last six months of 2004.
	Traffic figures detailing user activity are published on the eGU website (www.e-government.cabinetoffice.gov.uk) on a monthly basis; these cover the number of users, visits and pages viewed on the Directgov website. A copy of the latest monthly report has been placed in the Library.

TREASURY

Catering Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 15 December 2004, Official Report, column 1084W. The Treasury's accounting system does not differentiate between entertainment lunches and working lunches. All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting".

Credit Unions

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will discuss with the Association of British Credit Unions proposals to allow credit unions to set up hardship funds which will allow access to borrowing for those who have no previous history of saving.

Stephen Timms: The Government will continue to have discussions with the association on a wide range of issues including on the Government's objective to increase the availability of affordable credit to the financially excluded and will certainly consider any proposals which it brings forward.

Departmental Policies (Stockton, South)

Dari Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs have been created in Stockton, South constituency since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Ms Dari Taylor, dated 9 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about jobs created in Stockton South. I am replying in his absence. (215303)
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in numbers of jobs from year to year.
	The attached table shows the information requested, relating to change in jobs in Stockton South, since 1997 and 2001, compared to 2002, the latest period available.
	
		Number of employee jobs and change in jobs(44)(5507370045) in the Parliamentary Constituency of Stockton South: 1997 to 2002
		
			  Number of employee jobs 
		
		
			 1997 32,000 
			 1998 31,000 
			 1999 34,000 
			 2000 34,000 
			 2001 36,000 
			 2002 41,000 
			   
			 Change(46) in number of jobs since 1997 9,000 
			   
			 Change(46) in number of jobs since 2001 5,000 
		
	
	(44) Excludes self-employed jobs.
	(45) These figures are aggregates from which agriculture class 0100 (1992 SIC) have been excluded.
	(46) The change since 1997 and 2001 has been rounded to the nearest thousand separately from rounded levels.
	Source:
	1997; Annual Employment Survey, rescaled.
	1998–2002; Annual Business Inquiry.

EC Pension Liabilities

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest estimate is of the UK share of the European Communities' pension liabilities; and how much the UK has contributed.

Stephen Timms: The United Kingdom contributes to the Community budget as a whole, and not to individual elements of it. For 2003 (the latest year for which we have outturn figures), the amount in the budget for pensions was €755.2 million. The UK's percentage contribution to the overall 2003 budget was 11.92 per cent. after abatement.

EU Budget

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 31 January 2005, Official Report, column 594W, on the EU budget, if he will make a statement on what additional liabilities arise to the Commission upon failure to discharge the EU budget.

Stephen Timms: No additional liabilities arise. The Commission's liability under article 276 of the treaty covers all observations of the Council and the European Parliament made during the discharge process, irrespective of whether the budget sector they relate to received a positive statement of assurance.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Cooperation Subcommittee-EEC-Czech Republic met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Subcommittee—EEC—Latvia met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Subcommittee—EEC—Lithuania met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Subcommittee—EEC—Poland met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Subcommittee—EEC—Bulgaria met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Subcommittee—EEC—Estonia met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Subcommittee—EEC—Hungary met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not readily available. The Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia and Hungary are now members of the European Union, the EC Agreements are no longer in place and the Customs Cooperation working groups have been disbanded.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee on the European Communities statistics programme met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee on monetary, financial and balance-of-payments statistics met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the European Advisory Committee on statistical information in the economic and social spheres met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Angus Robertson, dated 9 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to three of your recent Parliamentary Questions relating to past meetings of various EU Committees. I am replying in his absence. (214747, 215425 & 215426)
	The Eurostat Statistical Programme Committee (SPC) met on 17 September 2003 in Paris and 20 November 2003 in Luxembourg during the Italian presidency, 12 February 2004 and 27 May 2004 during the Irish presidency (on both occasions in Luxembourg) and 18 November 2004 in Luxembourg during the Dutch presidency. The UK was represented at all the meetings by appropriate Office for National Statistics (ONS) officials, in most cases the National Statistician. The SPC discusses issues relating to the development of the European Statistical System.
	During the Italian presidency, the European Advisory Committee on Statistical Information in the Economic and Social Spheres (CEIES) met on 21 November 2003, and on 19 November 2004 during the Dutch presidency (on both occasions it met in Luxembourg). It did not meet during the Irish presidency. In addition, CEIES organises a series of open thematic seminars on issues of current interest to the European Statistical System. The National Statistician is a member, and was represented by appropriate ONS officials. CEIES maintains a dialogue between producers and users of European statistics.
	The EU Committee on Monetary, Finance and Balance of Payment Statistics (CMFB) did not meet during the Italian and Dutch presidencies. During the Irish presidency, CMFB met on 29/30 January 2004 and 15/16 June 2004 (on both occasions in Luxembourg). The UK was represented at both meetings by appropriate ONS and Bank of England officials. The CMFB discusses issues of common interest to central banks and national statistics offices.

EU Fraud

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 31 January 2005, Official Report, column 594W, on EU fraud, if he will make a statement on his Department's assessment of the total level of fraud within the European Communities' budget.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury's estimate that about €185 million, or 0.2 per cent. of the EC budget in 2003, was spent fraudulently, is derived from previous assessments by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) of the likely percentage of fraud within irregularities reported by member states. In response to pressure from the UK and other member states, OLAF's Intelligence Directorate is now beginning to work on a more accurate analysis of how much of the irregularities reported is actual fraud. We welcome and encourage this work, as we believe it is unacceptable that OLAF cannot publish an accurate figure for the amount of fraud against the Community budget. We also need this figure to assess the impact and effectiveness of anti-fraud measures taken to date, and to consider what additional measures should be considered.

Freedom of Information

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from whom the application under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for release of papers relating to the exit of the UK from the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992 was received; what the reasons are for the delay in responding to the request for the release of the papers; if he will place the papers in the Library; and if he will place in the Library the papers relating to the Government's policy on ERM and economic and monetary union as at 2 May 1997.

Stephen Timms: No Treasury Minister has had any involvement in the request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is the subject of the hon. Member's question. This is consistent with the long-standing practice of successive Governments concerning access to documents of a previous Administration. The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury is therefore writing to the hon. Member about this matter.
	The Treasury routinely publishes information disclosed under the 2000 Act on its website.
	The Government's policy on membership of the single currency was set out by the Chancellor in his statement to Parliament in October 1997. The Treasury assessment of the five economic tests was published in October 1997 and June 2003.

Freedom of Information

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is in respect of the publication (a) on the departmental website and (b) by placing copies in the Library of (i) all and (ii) a selection of the information disclosed in response to Freedom of Information requests since January.

Stephen Timms: The answers to all Freedom of Information requests where the material is new or of wider interest are published in the disclosure log on HM Treasury's departmental website. Material that is published on the disclosure log on the website will not normally be placed in the Library.

HIV/AIDS (Africa)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the availability of burial space for those dying of HIV/AIDS in Africa; what discussions he has had on this with heads of state of African countries; and what practical measures he has proposed.

Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been made by the Treasury. During his trip to Africa earlier this year the Chancellor set out how additional development aid could help to tackle HIV and AIDS by increasing treatment and care, while at the same time investing in research on an HIV vaccine.

Make Poverty History Campaign

Llew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Make Poverty History in 2005 campaign; and what actions he has taken as a result.

Stephen Timms: In advance of the G7 Finance Ministers meeting the Make Poverty History campaign and its supporters called on the Chancellor for action on debt, aid and trade. At the meeting the G7 Finance Ministers agreed: to provide on a case by case basis as much as 100 per cent. multilateral debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; a work programme on the IFF and other financing measures and; to ensure that the Doha Round of trade negotiations delivers substantial benefits to developing countries.

Departmental Mobile Phones

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of staff mobile phone bills was in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The cost of mobile phones is not recorded under a separate accounting code.

Departmental Mobile Phones

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mobile telephones have been reported lost or stolen from the Department in each year since 1997; and what the cost was in each year.

Stephen Timms: For the Treasury, the numbers of mobile phones reported lost or stolen and the estimated costs are one in 2002 at an estimated cost of £200; three in 2003 at an estimated cost of £600; and three in 2004 at an estimated cost of £600.

Departmental Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimated cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Stephen Timms: The core Treasury spending on advertising and publicity, excluding costs of advertising for the purpose of staff recruitment, was as follows:
	
		£000
		
			  Advertising Publicity 
		
		
			 1996–97 n/a n/a 
			 1997–98 0 0 
			 2003–04 0 5 
			 2004–05 (budgeted) 0 10 
		
	
	The data for 1996–97 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Estimates for future years are not available.

Redundancies (Coventry, South)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many redundancies there have been in Coventry, South in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 9 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about redundancies. I am replying in his absence. (214660)
	The attached table gives estimates of those people made redundant for the twelve month periods ending in February 2002, 2003 and 2004 in Coventry and the West Midlands Metropolitan County. Estimates are from the Labour Force Survey where respondents are asked about whether they have been made redundant in the three months prior to their interview. The Labour Force Survey samples of people made redundant in the Coventry South Parliamentary Constituency were too small to yield any meaningful estimates.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to sampling variability.
	
		People resident in Coventry South parliamentary constituency, Coventry and West Midlands Metropolitan County who were made redundant in last three months
		
			 12 months ending February Number 
		
		
			 2002  
			 Coventry South PCA (47)— 
			 Coventry 1,000 
			 West Midlands Metropolitan County 7,000 
			   
			 2003  
			 Coventry South PCA (47)— 
			 Coventry 1,000 
			 West Midlands Metropolitan County 10,000 
			   
			 2004  
			 Coventry South PCA (47)— 
			 Coventry 1,000 
			 West Midlands Metropolitan County 5,000 
		
	
	(47) Estimates not shown as they are potentially disclosive.
	Note:
	These estimates are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a very high degree of sampling variability. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Euro

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken by ECOFIN ministers to facilitate business recognition in the UK of the euro.

Stephen Timms: The Government continues, in consultation with business, to make information available to help UK business consider the practical and strategic implications of the euro for their business. An update of this work was published in Chapter 3 of the Report on euro preparations, December 2004", available in the House of Commons Library. All the material published by the Treasury to help UK business is available on the Treasury's euro website www.euro.gov.uk and can be ordered in hard copy.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the definition of unearned income in the context of the Single Farm Payment Scheme.

Stephen Timms: For people carrying on a farming trade payments made under the Single Farm Payment Scheme will generally be classified as earned income", in the same way as their other trading income. For others, payments under the scheme may be classified as unearned income", because the scheme provides for payments to people who are not carrying on a trade.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the speeches his special advisers made in an official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004, broken down by date.

Stephen Timms: No central records are held. All speeches given by special advisers are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many overpayments of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit have been waived by the Inland Revenue over the period 2003 to 2005; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the value of tax credit overpayments which have been written off by the Inland Revenue in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Miss Begg) on 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 129W. For the value of overpayments written off by the Inland Revenue in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 12 November 2003, Official Report, column 394W.
	The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 (What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?") sets out its approach to handling overpayments of tax credits, including those cases where the overpayment was a result of official error.
	The value of overpayments of working tax credit and child tax credit that have been written off due to official error between their introduction and end of December 2004 is around £1.3 million.
	I also refer the hon. Member to paragraph 2.10 of the Comptroller and Auditor General Report and page 124 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts 2004.

Tax Credits

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what problems have been experienced in the administration of the working families tax credit in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months; and what assessment he has made of whether recipients have suffered hardship.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 8 February 2005
	The Inland Revenue is not aware of any tax credits administration problems specific to Northern Ireland.
	The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 (What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?") sets out its approach to handling overpayments of tax credits.
	Where the Inland Revenue identifies an overpayment after the end of the year, it collects it from a continuing award, wherever possible, subject to automatic limits, which are applied after a claimant's award for the current year has been calculated.
	Claimants can contact the Inland Revenue if the reduced payments cause hardship, or they think a possible overpayment should not be recovered—they will consider whether to make additional payments for the rest of the year.

Tax Credits

Paul Tyler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what grounds the Inland Revenue will remit tax credit overpayments in instances where they have not acted upon information received within 30 days.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 (What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?") sets out its approach to handling overpayments of tax credits.
	A claimant will not be asked to pay back an overpayment where it was caused by a mistake by the Inland Revenue and it was reasonable for the claimant thinking their award was right. Where the Inland Revenue has made a mistake and does not act on information provided by a claimant within 30 working days and it was reasonable for the claimant to think their award was correct, it will not ask for an overpayment to be paid back.

Tax Credits

Paul Tyler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Miss Begg) of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 129W, on tax credits, in how many cases concerning the 1,600 people who have had their tax credit overpayments written off on grounds of official error, the Inland Revenue had failed to act upon information received within 30 days.

Dawn Primarolo: This information requested is not available. The Inland Revenue does not keep separate records of those cases where an overpayment has been written off on grounds of official error.

Taxation

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people he estimates faced combined marginal tax and benefit deduction rates of (a) over 50 per cent., (b) over 60 per cent. and (c) over 70 per cent. in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 2003–04 and (iii) 2004–05; what estimate he has made of the figures for 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Forward-looking estimates of numbers of working households facing high marginal deduction rates have been published each year in the Budget and pre-Budget reports. Each estimate is based on the best information and methodology available at the time, but the numbers published in different reports are not necessarily comparable.

Taxation

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of reducing marginal deduction rates for taxes and benefits to 50 per cent. or less for all those on tax credits; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Marginal deductions rates depend on the combined impact of income tax, national insurance contributions, tax credits, housing benefit, council tax benefit and, for some people working fewer than 16 hours a week, also on income support and jobseeker's allowance. It is not possible to calculate the cost of guaranteeing that nobody receiving tax credits faced marginal deductions rates above a particular level without making detailed assumptions on changes to each of these factors.

Taxation

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will re-state Table 4.2, page 88, of the November 2004 pre-Budget report (Cmnd 6408) to include figures for the marginal deduction rates of over 50 per cent. and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The table shows estimates of the numbers facing marginal deduction rates (MDRs) in excess of 50 per cent:
	
		
			 Marginal deduction rate (percentage) Before budget 1998 2005–06 system of tax and benefits 
		
		
			 Over 100 5,000 0 
			 Over 90 130,000 45,000 
			 Over 80 300,000 195,000 
			 Over 70 740,000 275,000 
			 Over 60 760,000 1,715,000 
			 Over 50 760,000 1,865,000 
		
	
	Figures are cumulative. This table shows marginal deduction rates for working households in receipt of income related benefits or tax credits, where at least one person works 16 hours or more a week and where higher earnings would lead to reduced benefits or tax credits. They include the marginal effects of income tax and national insurance contributions, and the withdrawal of housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	This analysis does not take into account the way in which the new tax credits will respond to rises in income. The new tax credits only respond to rises in income in the current year of more than £2,500, disregarding the first £2,500 of any risk. This means that recipients will not see their tax credits reduced as soon as their income rises, so reducing the effective marginal deduction in any one year.
	As a result of the Government's reforms, almost half a million fewer low-income households now face marginal deduction rates in excess of 70 per cent. than did so in April 1998. The increase in the number of households facing marginal deduction rates of between 40 and 70 per cent. is primarily due to the introduction of tax credits, and more recently the extension of support to workers aged 25 or over without children.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Benefits and Allowances

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province were receiving (a) disability living allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) severe disablement allowance in the last period for which figures are available.

John Spellar: The figures shown in the following table are the payload of the benefits requested. That is those who are receiving benefit, this excludes people with entitlement where payment has been suspended for example, because they are in hospital.
	
		
			 Benefit Date Number of people 
		
		
			 Disability living allowance November 2004 164,067 
			 Incapacity benefit August 2004 70,608 
			 Severe disablement allowance August 2004 13,189

Child Support Agency

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average time taken by the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency is in respect of new applications under the new child support scheme to (a) acknowledge applications for child support, (b) issue maintenance enquiry forms to non-resident parents, (c) issue an interim maintenance assessment and (d) issue a final maintenance assessment; and if he will provide disaggregated figures to show the respective performance of the (i) Northern Ireland operations and (ii) Eastern Business Unit.

John Spellar: It has not been Child Support Agency practice to acknowledge receipt of applications because of the sheer volume of material and its constantly changing nature. I have asked my officials in the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency to consider whether some form of acknowledgement would be practicable.
	Information on the average time taken to issue maintenance enquiry forms to non-resident parents is not held. Again I have asked my officials in the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency to review the adequacy of management information.
	Under the new child support scheme there are no interim maintenance assessments. The average time taken for a case to reach calculation is 15 weeks for Northern Ireland cases and 20 weeks for Eastern Business Unit.

Child Support Agency

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many telephone calls were made to the customer help line of (a) the Eastern Business Unit and (b) the Northern Ireland Operations of the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency (i) in 2003–04 and (ii) in 2004–05 to date; and how many such calls were abandoned.

John Spellar: The information is as follows:
	Eastern Business Unit
	In 2003–04 around 770,000 telephone calls were received in the part of the Child Support Agency's national helpline that is situated in Belfast. Many of these calls represent the same customer redialling because of delays in making a connection. In 2003–04 around 350,000 of these calls were abandoned. We considered this performance unacceptable and invested additional resources in the National Helpline. The year-to-date figures for 2004–05 are around 800,000 received and around 170,000 abandoned. Against the Agency's target of no more than 20 per cent. of telephone calls to be abandoned" Eastern Business Unit's year to date performance is 20.19 per cent. Work is continuing in this area to further improve performance.
	Northern Ireland Operations
	In 2003–04 there were around 86,000 telephone calls to the Northern Ireland customer help line and around 15,000 abandoned calls. The year to date number of calls in 2004–05 is around 87,000 and the number of abandoned calls is around 14,500. Against the Agency target of no more than 20 per cent. of telephone calls to be abandoned" the Northern Ireland year to date performance is 16.8 per cent.

Congestion Charge

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on congestion (a) charges and (b) penalty charge notices by the Department since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme.

Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office (excluding its agencies and NDPBs) has spent the following since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme:
	(a) Congestion charges: £1,410
	(b) Penalty charge notices: Nil

Dentistry

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vacancies there are in community dentistry in the Province.

Angela Smith: Information requested is provided in the table.
	
		Number of vacancies in community central services in Northern Ireland as at January 2005
		
			 Grade Headcount Whole-time equivalent 
		
		
			 Health Promotion 1 0.60 
			 Medical Technical Officer 3 1 0.80 
			 Dental Nurse 1 1.00 
			 Senior Dental Nurse(48) 2 2.00 
			 Dental Officer(48) 3 1.61 
			 Senior Dental Officer 2 1.30 
			 Total 10 7.31 
		
	
	(48) Interviews have taken place and appointments offered for 1 Senior Dental Nurse (1.00 WTE) and 2 Dental Officers (1.41 WTE)
	Source:
	NI Health Boards

Eating Disorders

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost of treating Northern Ireland eating disorders sufferers outside the Province in each of the last five years;
	(2)  if he will estimate the cost of treating eating disorders sufferers from Northern Ireland outside the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Estimated costs of treating Northern Ireland eating disorders sufferers outside the Province
		
			 Year ending 31 March Estimated expenditure (£000) 
		
		
			 2004 1,001 
			 2003 754 
			 2002 608 
			 2001(49) 220 
			 2000(49) 129 
		
	
	(49) Information on the numbers treated for these financial years is not available from the Northern Health and Social Services Board and therefore it is not possible to estimate their expenditure to include in the total.
	Source:
	Health and Social Services Boards

Health Care Staff

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what actions are taken to inform health service employers of potential employees who have been forced to leave other posts within the health sector and the reasons surrounding their departure.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1069W.

Health Care Staff

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what circumstances police checks are conducted on applicants for (a) permanent and (b) agency health care staff posts.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 876W.

Health Service (Fraud)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement regarding losses from fraud affecting the health service in the Province.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 875W.

Health Service (Fraud)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reports of counterfeit medications being discovered in the Province within the legitimate wholesale medicines supply chain he has received in the last three years.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1068W.

Housing Executive

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which posts, not including Housing Executive staff, are funded by the Housing Executive to assist local communities and residents' groups in North Belfast.

John Spellar: The Housing Executive encourages the development of local groups to assist in the furthering of its housing responsibilities and has funded the following posts either fully or in part in the North Belfast area:
	New Lodge Housing Forum—Community Project Worker
	Ardoyne—Community Project Worker
	Lower North Belfast Community Council—Housing and Environmental Officer
	North Belfast Partnership Board—Housing and Environmental Officer
	Concerned Residents Upper Ardoyne—Community Project Worker

Housing Executive

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the policy of the Housing Executive is in respect of the letting of properties to commercial lessees.

John Spellar: The Housing Executive's policy is generally to retain ownership of its Purpose Built Commercial Property Portfolio with the exception of those shop units or centres where it makes good economic sense to sell.
	In considering the sale of any of its purpose-built commercial properties the Housing Executive must be satisfied that:
	(i) the sale makes good economic sense (eg where there are structural problems or onerous repairs); or is necessary because of the special circumstances attaching to the case;
	(ii) the sale would not be to the detriment of the needs of its domestic tenants.
	Units are sometimes let to local community-based organisations, charities and government agencies to provide locally based services.
	Vacant properties are advertised for leasing on an open market basis and are generally let on a five-year lease with a provision to review rents every five years.

Mental Health

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province provide cognitive behavioural therapy within the NHS for those suffering depression and anxiety.

Angela Smith: There are 90 clinical psychologists in Northern Ireland working in the national health service and trained in cognitive behavioural therapy. Also it is one of the therapeutic approaches used by other disciplines such as psychiatric nurses. However, cognitive behavioural therapy is effective and used for a wide range of mental health problems and therefore it would be difficult to quantify how many are providing therapy specifically for depression and anxiety.

Speech Defects (Social Security)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what allowance is made for claimants in Northern Ireland who have speech defects, when such defects result in errors regarding social security payments for which repayment is demanded, when determining the level and extent of repayment.

John Spellar: The Social Security Agency is committed to providing the highest standard of customer care to all clients groups which includes customers with a disability.
	If it is apparent that a customer has a speech defect, all possible assistance (including the use of private interview facilities) is given to meet the customer's specific needs and to minimise the risk of gathering inaccurate information.
	If a customer is dissatisfied with the outcome of a decision he or she can exercise his or her right of appeal.

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of staff surveys in the Department was in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: A number of internal staff surveys were completed by staff within the Department. These were conducted as part of normal duties and no records were held of staff time expended separately on these surveys. It is not possible therefore to provide details of the cost of staff surveys in the Department for each year since 1997.

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: Two staff surveys were conducted as part of a wider project. The cost of these surveys were not detailed separately but were included in the overall cost of the consultancy. Individual survey costs could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Trauma Counsellors

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many specialist trauma counsellors are working in the Province.

Angela Smith: There are 28 specialist trauma counsellors directly employed by Northern Ireland trusts although the majority of these will not be providing a full-time dedicated trauma service. In addition, a range of practitioners including medical staff, psychologists, cognitive therapists, community psychiatric nurses, social workers and sessional counsellors also provide trauma counselling. A range of statutory and voluntary organisations, from which services are commissioned, also employ specialist trauma counsellors but there are no figures available on the number.

Waiting Lists

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province died while (a) on waiting lists for (i) in-patient admission and (ii) initial out-patient assessment and (b) awaiting medical investigations in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.

Wind Farms

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many wind farms were in operation in Northern Ireland at the end of 2004; what their total output was on 31 December; and what percentage of the total electricity supply in Northern Ireland that figure represents.

Barry Gardiner: At the end of 2004 there were 14 wind farms operating in Northern Ireland which produced 220GWh of electricity in total, equivalent to 2.5 per cent. of the total electricity consumed in Northern Ireland during 2004.

Wind Farms

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for new wind farms in Northern Ireland have been accepted; and what estimate he has made of the percentage of the total electricity supply in Northern Ireland which they will provide.

Barry Gardiner: During the past 12 months Department of the Environment Planning Service approved applications for four wind farms, all of which have yet to commence generation. The total estimated capacity of these farms is 66MW which should be capable of supplying around 175GWh to the Northern Ireland electricity grid each year, equivalent to 2 per cent. of total annual electricity consumption (2004 figures).

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Policies (Burnley)

Peter Pike: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Christopher Leslie: The Department for Constitutional Affairs is the Government Department responsible for upholding justice, rights and democracy. The Department's aim is to provide for effective and accessible justice for all, to ensure the rights and responsibilities of the citizen, and to modernise the law and constitution.
	Currently, the Department has six strategic objectives, which cover the delivery of justice, civil and administrative law, protecting the vulnerable, modernising the constitution, increasing consumer choice and working in partnership with the independent judiciary. The Department also has seven Public Service Agreement targets to help deliver its strategic objectives.
	Examples of the activity in 2004 to deliver these objectives include work with partners to make sure criminal trials are more efficient with the numbers of ineffective Crown Court trials falling from 24 per cent. in 2002–03 to 16 per cent. in September 2004. The rate has reduced from 31 per cent. to 25 per cent. for the same period in the magistrates' courts. The Department has also been involved in work to help people resolve their disputes in the most effective way, including pilots to test the effectiveness of court-based mediation. During 2004 there was a reduction from almost 49 per cent. to 41 per cent. in those cases that had eventually to be resolved by a hearing. Another area where pilots were used successfully was for all postal voting in four regions of England at the combined European and local elections in June 2004. Voter turnout doubled in the pilot regions compared with 1999.
	The range of the Department's policies and actions is wide and the statistical information relating to all of that activity is not collected on a constituency basis. Consequently, the information requested in the question cannot be provided in the form requested except at a disproportionate cost. However, statistical information about the Department's activities can be found at: http://www.dca.gov.uk/statistics/statfr.htm as well as at www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.
	An example of the information available on those sites is data on persistent young offenders. The average number of days from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders sentenced between August and October 2004 was 59 days in the Lancashire criminal justice area, which covers the constituency of Burnley. This compares with 124 days in the Lancashire criminal justice area in the 1997 calendar year.

Constitutional Treaty

John Hayes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2005, Official Report, column 1028W, on the Constitutional Treaty, with which individuals discussions took place; on what dates; and if he will publish notes and minutes of the meetings and internal memoranda produced consequent to the meetings.

Christopher Leslie: The information requested relates to the formulation and development of government policy on the holding of a referendum in relation to the European Union Constitution. The European Union Bill is still proceeding through Parliament. It is essential that the Government and the Electoral Commission remain able to fully and frankly engage in ongoing discussion and debate in relation to a policy that remains the subject of active ongoing consideration. If the Government were to disclose the information requested it would prejudice this process. We currently have no plans therefore to disclose the information which the hon. Member requests.

Courts (Sitting Hours)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the current sitting hours of courts.

Christopher Leslie: Tables showing county, Crown and magistrates courts sitting hours follow.
	The downward trend in sitting hours in the county court since 2001 reflects the increased use of judicial case management. Greater access to alternative dispute resolution continues to have an effect on the number of cases that reach a settlement, which in turn has impacted on the level of court sitting hours.
	The number of sitting hours in the Crown court has gone up, as the sitting plan has been increased year on year.
	The historical sitting hours for magistrates courts show a gradual increase in the number of hours sat for criminal proceedings, although overall hours are subject to seasonal variation. Civil and other court user hours have remained relatively stable.
	
		Sitting hours in county courts: England and Wales2000 to 2004 Q3
		
			 Quarter Total number of hours sat (in quarter) 
		
		
			 2000  
			 Q1 50,838 
			 Q2 44,459 
			 Q3 45,689 
			 Q4 47,361 
			 Total 188,347 
			   
			 2001  
			 Q1 47,334 
			 Q2 54,840 
			 Q3 45,540 
			 Q4 45,874 
			 Total 193,586 
			   
			 2002  
			 Q1 43,884 
			 Q2 43,458 
			 Q3 43,130 
			 Q4 46,487 
			 Total 176,958 
			   
			 2003  
			 Q1 47,381 
			 Q2 41,376 
			 Q3 43,664 
			 Q4 42,895 
			 Total 175,315 
			   
			 2004  
			 Q1 44,711 
			 Q2 38,796 
			 Q3 38,594 
		
	
	
		Sitting hours in Crown courts: England and Wales 2000 to 2004
		
			 Quarter Total number of hours sat (in quarter) 
		
		
			 2000  
			 QT1 107,150 
			 QT2 94,629 
			 QT3 95,660 
			 QT4 102,617 
			 Total 400,057 
			   
			 2001  
			 QT1 111,281 
			 QT2 102,238 
			 QT3 103,532 
			 QT4 109,924 
			 Total 426,975 
			   
			 2002  
			 QT1 112,588 
			 QT2 104,822 
			 QT3 109,458 
			 QT4 112,195 
			 Total 439,063 
			   
			 2003  
			 QT1 116,757 
			 QT2 102,815 
			 QT3 107,892 
			 QT4 109,159 
			 Total 436,622 
			   
			 2004  
			 QT1 119,427 
			 QT2 104,555 
			 QT3 108,242 
			 QT4 110,943 
			 Total 443,167 
		
	
	
		Sitting hours in magistrates courts: England and Wales 2000 Q3 to 2004 Q3
		
			  Number of hours sat (in quarter) 
			 Quarter Criminal Civil Other court users Total 
		
		
			 2000 
			 Q3 263,480 26,779 4,507 294,766 
			 Q4 266,504 27,253 8,396 302,152 
			 Total 529,984 54,032 12,903 596,918 
			  
			 2001 
			 Q1 277,249 27,559 9,179 313,987 
			 Q2 262,159 26,900 10,228 299,286 
			 Q3 259,676 27,415 9,458 296,548 
			 Q4 257,387 26,201 10,603 294,191 
			 Total 1,056,471 108,074 39,467 1,204,012 
			  
			 2002 
			 Q1 268,362 25,767 12,850 306,979 
			 Q2 260,836 24,937 13,801 299,575 
			 Q3 270,054 25,583 13,645 309,282 
			 Q4 262,318 25,089 13,034 300,441 
			 Total 1,061,570 101,376 53,331 1,216,277 
			  
			 2003 
			 Q1 272,114 25,897 12,016 310,027 
			 Q2 265,471 23,882 10,407 299,760 
			 Q3 278,232 25,970 12,084 316,286 
			 Q4 269,240 25,826 10,786 305,852 
			 Total 1,085,057 101,575 45,293 1,231,925 
			  
			 2004 
			 Q1 286,208 26,131 10,018 322,357 
			 Q2 272,187 24,221 9,129 305,537 
			 Q3 277,616 24,266 8,812 310,694 
		
	
	Note:
	These data are presented as calendar year not financial year.
	Source:
	MCAD Access Databases

Divorced/Separated Parents

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the reasons were for the decision not to make negotiation compulsory in disputes between divorced or separated parents.

Christopher Leslie: pursuant to the reply, 27 January 2005, Official Report, c.459W
	The Government published 'Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities, Next Steps' on 18 January, which sets out plans to implement a range of measures to help separating parents in dispute about future parenting arrangements, reach agreement.
	The Government's plans include improvements in the information available to parents and greater use of methods such as the Collaborative Law Model, Mediation, In-Court Conciliation and the Family Resolutions Pilot Project. The Government intends strongly to promote these methods as better ways to reach agreement than through contested court hearings. All publicly funded clients will have to show that they have considered mediation. Lawyers undertaking collaborative law work in the proposed pilot will be publicly funded, if their clients are eligible. Those same lawyers would not be funded by legal aid for any subsequent litigation if an out of court settlement is not reached under the Collaborative Law Scheme and the case proceeded to court. New lawyers would need to be instructed for the court proceedings and they would be funded separately, subject to their clients' eligibility. In addition, the Government, Senior Judiciary and Rules Committee plan to review court rules and practice directions so that the strongest possible encouragement is given to parties to participate in forms of dispute resolution.
	We do not plan to make these schemes compulsory in every case, as an essential part of the process is that people come to them voluntarily and are therefore willing to participate. Further, in some cases, including those where domestic violence has been an issue, it would not always be appropriate to impose mediation on separating parents.

Electoral Registration (Service Personnel)

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many British service personnel registered as overseas electors in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004.

Christopher Leslie: As a result of provisions in the Representation of the People Act 2000, service personnel have been entitled to register to vote by completing a service declaration, as previously, or alternatively as either ordinary or overseas voters. It is not possible to identify separately those overseas electors who may also be service personnel.

Electoral Registration (Service Personnel)

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many service personnel have been prosecuted for failure to register on the electoral rolls, in accordance with Regulation 23 of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (S.I., 2001/341) since February 2001.

Christopher Leslie: Regulation 23 of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 provides that an electoral registration officer may require any person to give information required for the purposes of that officer's duties in maintaining electoral registers. It is an offence for any person to fail to comply with, or to give false information in respect of such a request. Figures are not collected centrally in respect of prosecutions arising from these provisions, for any category of elector.

Electoral Registration (Service Personnel)

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether all service personnel overseas voters have received a written reminder of their obligation to re-register on the electoral roll in accordance with Clause 25(2) of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (SI, 2001/341).

Christopher Leslie: Regulation 25(2) of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 requires electoral registration officers to send annually a written reminder to service personnel who are registered by way of a service declaration of the need to make a fresh declaration if they wish to remain registered under this method. The reminder is sent to the address at which such personnel are recorded as being most recently resident. Service personnel who are registered as ordinary voters in respect of an address in the United Kingdom will be sent an annual canvass form to be completed and returned to the relevant electoral registration officer.

Judicial Appointments

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time judicial officer appointments have been made in each year since 1975.

Christopher Leslie: The number of full-time judicial officer appointments between the calendar years 1975 to 1997 is detailed in the following tables 1A and B. The tables include lay magistrates appointments from 1990 onwards.
	The figures for the appointment of part-time judicial officers between 1975 and 1998, and for lay magistrates prior to 1990 are not given as they could be determined only at disproportionate cost.
	The numbers of full-time and part-time judicial officer appointments for each year between 1998 and 2004 are set out in table 2. These figures are obtained from the Judicial Appointments Annual Reports to Parliament for each of the financial years from 1998 to 2004.
	
		Table 1A: 1975 to 1984—Full-time appointments
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1975 45 
			 1976 46 
			 1977 43 
			 1978 57 
			 1979 39 
			 1980 65 
			 1981 10 
			 1982 10 
			 1983 48 
			 1984 62 
		
	
	
		Table 1B: 1985 to 1994—Full-time and lay magistrates appointments
		
			  Full time Lay magistrates 
		
		
			 1985 53 n/a 
			 1986 82 n/a 
			 1987 54 n/a 
			 1988 60 n/a 
			 1989 54 n/a 
			 1990 55 2,059 
			 1991 92 2,017 
			 1992 120 2,070 
			 1993 127 2,062 
			 1994 91 1,593 
			 1995 110 1,843 
			 1996 100 1,682 
			 1997 93 1,573 
		
	
	
		Table 2: 1998–99 to 2003–04—Full-time, part-time (fee paid) and lay magistrates appointments
		
			  Full time Part time Total Number of lay magistrates 
		
		
			 1998–99 148 486 634 1,609 
			 1999–2000 95 369 464 1,423 
			 2000–01 198 555 753 1,618 
			 2001–02 125 790 915 1,786 
			 2002–03 156 541 697 1,623 
			 2003–04 126 354 480 1,478

HEALTH

Alcohol

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent advertising the dangers of excessive alcohol in each of the last seven years.

Melanie Johnson: Since 2002, the Department has funded through its central communications budget the production of the following booklets or leaflets advising the public on sensible drinking:
	Drinking for two", relating to drinking during pregnancy,
	Alcohol Facts for Parents & Young People" flip book.
	Think About Drink".
	Drinkline leaflet (Drinkline is a national telephone helpline that helps people with a drink problem and their families).
	Say When—How Much Is Too Much?"
	Two leaflets have been produced for specific communities:
	Your Drink and You", for the Caribbean community.
	Alcohol—the facts", an Asian multilingual booklet.
	Expenditure for these publications is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2002–03 96,764 
			 2003–04 44,591 
			 2004–05(50) 39,954 
		
	
	(50) Up to and including quarter three.
	Additionally, the Department funds the Drinkline helpline and a dedicated website at http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/26738981/.

Ambulance Services (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long on average people waited for ambulances responding to 999 calls in Chorley in the last year for which figures are available; and how many times the target response time was missed during that period.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected centrally. Response time data for the Lancashire Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust for 2003–04 is available in the KA34 statistical bulletin. Copies are available in the Library.
	In 2003–04, Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust made 735,100 patient journeys, received 142,900 emergency calls and attended 136,100 emergency incidents. 77.7 per cent. of category A (immediately life-threatening) calls were responded to within eight minutes. 95.3 per cent. of category B/C (less urgent) calls were responded to within 19 minutes. 96.4 per cent. of general practitioner urgent journeys reached their destination not more than 15 minutes late.

Burns Treatment

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to enhance specialist burns treatment facilities in the south-east region; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 1 February 2005
	The National Burn Care Group, which is considering options for reconfiguration of specialist burns services across England and Wales, is being led by the national health service.
	Decisions have not yet been made regarding the development of burn care centres; any proposals for change will be submitted to a full public consultation process, probably in the summer of 2005.

Cancer Research/Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on cancer research in each of the last seven years.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 53 
			 1998–99 75.4 
			 1999–2000 77.4 
			 2000–01 83.8 
			 2001–02 113.4 
			 2002–03 124.1 
			 2003–04 139.8 
		
	
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. The figures given include estimates of the expenditure incurred by those organisations for the years 1997–98 to 2000–01, and the actual expenditure reported by them for the years from 2001–02.

Cancer Research/Services

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the additional cancer funding announced on 30 September 2003 has been spent;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to address shortfalls consequent on the funding cap on voluntary hospices.

Melanie Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) announced in September 2003 the allocation of an additional £50 million per annum for specialist palliative care (SPC). The extra funding met the Government's commitment in the NHS Cancer Plan 2000 and represents a significant increase in national health service funding of about 40 per cent. over 2000 levels.
	Reports on the use of the additional £50 million in 2003–04 have been received from 32 of the 34 cancer networks. The remaining two networks received their allocations later than the others and were not included in this information collection exercise. The 32 networks received a total of £45.8 million and spent £38.4 million of this amount in-year on specialist palliative care. Because of a lack of suitable staff to fill posts within the first year of the budget, £7.4 million has been carried forward for use in future years.
	£24.8 million of the £38.4 million was used to support voluntary sector services, including hospices, of which £8.5 million was for new services, and £13.6 million of the £38.4 million was used to support NHS services, of which £10.2 million was for new services.
	To date, the allocation has funded 28 new whole-time equivalent (WTE) consultants in palliative medicine, 133 new WTE clinical nurse specialists and the opening of 38 new SPC beds.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the NHS for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative care. The NHS is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history, growth money not identified for specific purposes. PCTs will be able to use these extra resources to deliver on both national and local priorities, including, as they determine, palliative care. There are no restrictions on the levels of funding possible for hospices. It is for individual hospices to negotiate funding with their PCT.

Care Homes (Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) care homes and (b) care home places were available in West Derbyshire in each of the last seven years run by (i) Derbyshire county council and (ii) the voluntary independent and private sector.

Stephen Ladyman: Data is not available for the area requested. Table 1 shows the number of care homes for adults aged 18 and over in Derbyshire at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001. Table 2 shows the number of care home places for adults aged 18 and over in Derbyshire at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001.
	I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.
	
		Table 1: Number of care homes in Derbyshire(51) 1997–2001 -- Rounded numbers
		
			  Local authority Residential private(52) Voluntary Nursing(53) independent Total 
		
		
			 1997 70 280 40 150 540 
			 1998 50 230 40 150 480 
			 1999 50 320 50 150 560 
			 2000 50 240 40 140 470 
			 2001 50 240 40 140 470 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Number of care home places in Derbyshire(51) 1997–2001 -- Rounded numbers
		
			  Local authority Residential private(52) Voluntary Nursing(53) independent Total 
		
		
			 1997 1,780 3,790 700 4,600 10,860 
			 1998 1,490 3,780 690 4,500 10,400 
			 1999 1,380 4,460 770 4,590 11,200 
			 2000 1,470 4,230 630 4,310 10,630 
			 2001 1,470 4,190 590 4,260 10,510 
		
	
	(51) Nursing relates to North Derbyshire and South Derbyshire health authorities. Residential care relates to Derbyshire council with social services responsibilities (CSSR) and Derby CSSR.
	(52) Includes private and small residential care homes.
	(53) Includes general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics. These figures also include dual registered homes that are registered with both the local authority to provide residential care and the health authority to provide nursing care.
	Source:
	RA and RH(N) form A.

Cataract Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on steps taken to reduce cataract treatment waiting lists.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 January 2005
	By the end of January 2005, waiting times for cataract operations had been reduced to a maximum of three months and most patients can now expect to be treated within six weeks. This is four years ahead of the NHS Plan target. This is a result of sustained investment and reform in national health service services, including extra capacity supplied by the independent sector, which has so far provided over 13,000 additional cataract operations.

Childhood Cancer

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of links between levels of chemicals revealed in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory and levels of childhood cancer.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 8 February 2005
	The committee on carcinogenicity of chemicals in food consumer products and the environment (COC) will assess the recent publication from Professor E. G. Knox (University of Birmingham) on childhood cancers and atmospheric carcinogens, which was based on data from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, at its next meeting on 21 April 2005. This will be part of an ongoing review the COC is undertaking into chemicals and childhood cancers.

Congestion Charge

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on congestion (a) charges and (b) penalty charge notices by the Department since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's expenses guide allows staff to claim for the reasonable cost of additional motoring expenses, such as car parking, tolls, ferries and the congestion charge. The guide prohibits the payment of any penalties such as parking fines, speeding tickets and penalty charge notices incurred on official business.
	Expenditure on the congestion charge is not separately identifiable within the Department's accounting records.

Criminal Offences

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department in the (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 session, broken down by Act.

Rosie Winterton: The Department sponsored the following legislation, which created the following criminal offences:
	
		Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards)Act 2003
		
			  
		
		
			 Section 36 making false or reckless declarations in relation to standing or voting at foundation trust elections and meetings. 
			 Section 67 obstructing the exercise by a person authorised by Commission for Health Audit Inspection (CHAI) of powers of entry and inspection and related matters and failure to comply with requirements relating to those powers. 
			 Section 68 failure to comply with requirements imposed by CHAI for the provision of documents, information, records or other items. 
			 Section 69 failure to provide CHAI or an authorised person with an explanation of specified matters. 
			 Sections 73–75 similar provision to those in sections 67–69 in relation to Wales and the Welsh Assembly 
			 Section 89 obstructing the exercise by a person authorised by Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) of powers of entry and inspection and related matters and failure to comply with requirements relating to those powers. 
			 Section 90 failure to comply with a requirement imposed by CSCI for the provision of documents, information, records or other items. 
			 Section 91 failure to provide CSCI or an authorised person with an explanation of specified matters. 
			 Section 99–101 similar provisions to those in sections 89–91 in relation to Wales and the Welsh Assembly. 
			 Section 136 disclosure of confidential personal information obtained by CHAI 
			 Section 185 this substitutes a new provision for section 13 of the Social Security Act 1988 about welfare foods. It contains a power to provide for social security offences to apply in that context. 
			 Schedule 5 failure to comply with requirements of an auditor of a foundation trust and unauthorised disclosure of information obtained by an auditor or his representative. 
		
	
	
		The Human Tissue Act 2004
		
			  
		
		
			 Section 5 breach of prohibition of activities relating to human tissue without consent and misrepresentation in respect of consent, etc 
			 Section 8 breach of restriction of activities in relation to donated human bodies or material from bodies. 
			 Section 25 breach of requirement for licence in respect of various activities relating to human bodies or material from bodies. 
			 Section 30 offences in relation to possession of anatomical specimens away from licensed premises 
			 Section 31 offences in relation to possession of former anatomical specimens away from licensed premises. 
			 Section 32 breach of prohibition of unauthorised commercial dealings in human material for transplantation. 
			 Section 33 breach of restriction on transplants involving a live donor. 
			 Section 34 failure to comply with regulations requiring information about transplant operations. 
			 Section 45 breach of requirements about non-consensual analysis of DNA. 
			 Schedule 5 failure to comply with requirements about powers of inspection, entry, search and seizure, and obstruction in relation to their exercise

Dentistry

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists within the London borough of Wandsworth (a) only treat patients under the NHS, (b) treat patients under the NHS and also privately and (c) treat patients solely as private patients.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the private work of national health service dentists or of dentists working wholly privately is not available.
	There were 158 dentists (general dental service and personal dental service), working in the Wandsworth primary care trust area, as at 31 December 2004.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the differences are between the 2003 Keeping in Touch scheme for dentists and the Returning to Dentistry campaign launched in 2004.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 7 February 2005
	The returning to dentistry campaign in 2004 reinforced and expanded the keeping in touch scheme, which is still in operation. Returning to dentistry emphasised opportunities for refresher training, work shadowing, advice on national health service administration and bursary support to assist return to NHS practice.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how long the Returning to Dentistry campaign ran; how many calls it received; and what the total budget was, broken down by (a) advertising and (b) operating costs.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 7 February 2005
	Advertisements for the Returning to Dentistry campaign ran from the end of June until the end of August 2004. A total of 288 calls were received. The total media budget was £118,669 and the total cost of producing the leaflets was £20,352. The cost of call handling was subsumed within the overall costs of the national health service careers call centre.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with primary care trusts prior to launching the Returning to Dentistry campaign; and what feedback has been received from the trusts as a result of the campaign.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 7 February 2005
	The returning to dentistry campaign was launched in June 2004. No formal discussions were held with primary care trusts before the launch. Since April 2004, 65 dentists (37 Whole Time Equivalents) have returned to national health service practice. No direct feedback has been received from trusts as a result of the campaign.

Dentistry

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecast figures his Department has for (a) adults and (b) children registering with an NHS dentist in 2005.

Rosie Winterton: We are to recruit the equivalent of 1,000 additional dentists to the national health service by October 2005. This will provide sufficient additional capacity for the dental care of two million more patients. The split between adults and children will vary depending upon the area to which each dentist is recruited and the range of services offered by the dentists already practicing in the area.

Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent dentists have been recruited back to the NHS through the keeping in touch scheme.

Rosie Winterton: Since April 2004, we have been informed of 22.8 whole-time equivalent dentists who have returned to national health service practice via the keeping in touch scheme.

Experimental Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely impact of draft guidelines published by the United States Food and Drug Administration regarding the regulation of experimental crops on UK (a) importers and (b) retailers of (i) animal feed and (ii) food intended for human consumption.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 31 January 2005
	The proposed measures published by the United States Food and Drug Administration impact equally across the European Union. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has raised this issue with the European Commission and other member states, and encouraged the Commission to reply on behalf of the EU. The FSA has not therefore made an assessment of the likely impact of the draft guidelines.

Health Care Trusts (Devon)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the trusts operating in Devon in (a) mental health care, (b) general health care, (c) elderly care and (d) special care; which of them were operating in 1997; how many staff are employed by each trust; how many were employed in 1997; and what the costs of running the Health Service in Devon (i) are in 2004–05 and (ii)were in 1997.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 February 2005
	Information relating to the cost of running health services in Devon in 1997 is not held centrally. Information is not held centrally for mental health trusts income turnover.
	The running costs for the health service in Devon shown by primary care trust allocations for 2004–05 are shown in table one.
	
		Table 1
		
			 Primary care trust Allocation (£ million) 
		
		
			 East Devon PCT 115.3 
			 Mid Devon PCT 89.6 
			 North Devon PCT 143.9 
			 South Hams and West Devon PCT 98.1 
			 Plymouth PCT 250.3 
			 Torbay PCT 141.0 
			 Teignbridge PCT 103.1 
			 Exeter PCT 119.0 
		
	
	The latest available data for trust annual income/turnover for 2003–04 is shown in table two.
	
		Table 2
		
			 NHS trust Income (£000) 
		
		
			 Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 69,509 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare  NHS Trust 199,095 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 129,640 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 241,384 
		
	
	The number of staff employed in trusts providing healthcare for the residents of Devon is shown in tables three and four.
	
		Table 3: Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS) Staff, General Medical Practitioners and Practice staff for South West Peninsula 1997 and 2003
		
			  1997 
			  All NHS staff Of which: All Doctors Of which: HCHS staff General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers) HCHS non-medical staff GP Practice staff Of which: GP Practice nurses 
		
		
			 South West Peninsula 31,835 2,566 1,500 1,066 26,084 3,185 693 
			 Cornwall Health Care NHS Trust — — 56 — 3,148 — — 
			 North and East Devon Partnerships NHS Trust — — — — — — — 
			 North Devon Healthcare Trust — — 118 — 2,022 — — 
			 Plymouth Community Services NHS Trust — — 37 — 2,111 — — 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust — — 393 — 3,625 — — 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals and West Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust — — 268 — 3,018 — — 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust — — 305 — 2,942 — — 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust — — 238 — 4,175 — — 
			 Trecare NHS Trust — — 4 — 710 — — 
		
	
	
		Table 4: Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS) Staff, General Medical Practitioners and Practice staff for South West Peninsula 1997 and 2003
		
			  2003 
			  All NHS staff Of which: All Doctors Of which: HCHS staff General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers) HCHS non-medical staff GP Practice staff Of which: GP Practice nurses 
		
		
			 Southwest Peninsula 40,308 3,346 2,196 1,150 33,163 3,799 795 
			 Cornwall Health Care NHS Trust 2,004 56 56 — 1,948 — — 
			 North and East Devon Partnerships NHS Trust 2,379 94 94 — 2,285 — — 
			 North Devon Healthcare Trust 1,838 139 139 — 1,699 — — 
			 Plymouth Community Services NHS Trust — — — — — — — 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 5,540 614 614 — 4,926 — — 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals and West Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust 4,826 448 448 — 4,378 — — 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust 4,637 396 396 — 4,241 — — 
			 South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 3,520 297 297 — 3,223 — — 
			 Trecare NHS Trust — — — — — — —

Hospital Chaplaincy

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available for the hospital chaplaincy service for the Sikh faith.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has undertaken a review of central funding of hospital chaplaincy services informed by extensive consultation with all major faith groups. The review makes a number of recommendations to more equitably provide for the religious and spiritual needs of patients while in hospital. £170,000 is available, which includes funding for the Sikh faith. The Department will publish an action plan shortly.

Infertility Treatment

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he expects one cycle of IVF to be available on the NHS to those who meet the clinical criteria by April in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) England and Wales;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the availability of IVF in Gloucestershire.

Melanie Johnson: We have advised that we will be looking to primary care trusts (PCTs) which provide no in-vitro fertilisation (IVF ) treatment to meet a minimum national level of provision of one cycle of IVF by April 2005. In the longer term, we expect the national health service to make progress to full implementation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's (NICE) clinical guideline on the assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems. We have said that the priority is to help those in greatest need, which must mean couples who have no children living with them.
	We understand that at present the PCTs in Gloucestershire provide IVF in individual cases on exceptional grounds, but that from 1 April 2005 they plan to offer one cycle to those who meet the criteria in the NICE guideline.

Inspectorates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure of the (a) Social Services Inspectorate and (b) Commission for Social Care Inspection was in each year since its establishment; and what the estimated budget for the next financial year is in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: Expenditure on the administrative costs of the Social Services Inspectorate since 1997–98 is shown in the table. Earlier figures are not readily available.
	The Social Services Inspectorate was part of the Department and was abolished on 1 April 2004, when its functions transferred to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) along with the social care regulatory functions of the former National Care Standards Commission.
	The CSCI's expenditure in 2004–05 is estimated to be some £149.6 million. Its budget for 2005–06 has not yet been determined.
	
		
			  Total expenditure (£000) 
		
		
			 1997–98 6,250 
			 1998–99 6,246 
			 1999–2000 8,189 
			 2000–01 9,227 
			 2001–02 10,248 
			 2002–03 10,532 
			 2003–04 11,697

Milk Tokens

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many eligible households (a) had and (b) had not had their milk tokens issued to them by the last day of each month for which his Department has had responsibility;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that those eligible for milk tokens have (a) received a satisfactory service and (b) had access to an effective information system; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the (a) cost, (b) effectiveness and (c) management of the Milk Token Hotline; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  for what reasons the Milk Token Hotline ran a message on 22 January advising callers that the Department would not be able to inform them whether they had been instructed to send them more milk tokens until Monday 13 December 2004; if he will arrange for the hotline message to be updated at weekly intervals; what the new target date is for hotline callers to be given accurate information on (a) their eligibility for and (b) the dispatch of milk tokens; and if he will make a statement.
	(5)  pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, columns 104–5W, on the Milk Token Hotline, how many calls have been received by the Milk Token Hotline in each week since its commencement; how many callers stayed on the line to seek further assistance; what further assistance was made available to callers between 13 December 2004 and 22 January; and if he will make a statement;

Melanie Johnson: holding answers 3 February 2005
	The token distribution unit (TDU) has been responsible for distributing milk tokens to beneficiaries in receipt of child tax credit since April 2003, and for beneficiaries receiving income support or income based jobseekers allowance since November 2004. The TDU is authorised to send milk tokens to qualifying claimants every four weeks based on information about beneficiaries received from the Inland Revenue and the Department of Work and Pensions. The number of tokens issued in each of the four mail outs since November 2004 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Token exchange dates Tokens issued to children Tokens issued to pregnant women 
		
		
			 1 November 2004 to 28 November 2004 653,835 29,640 
			 29 November 2004 to 26 December 2004 698,658 28,915 
			 27 December 2004 to 23 January 2005 714,920 28,078 
			 24 January 2005 to 24 February 2005 708,920 27,265 
		
	
	Milk tokens are distributed to eligible households the week before expiry date of the previous four-weekly mail out. This ensures that claimants always receive thetokens before the first Monday of week one of the four-week cycle. Claimants who notify non-receipt of tokens are offered the option to have tokens re-issued or to be sent to a new address if they have recently moved.
	Claimants can request information about milk tokens by phone, letter or e-mail and all the contact details are on the letter they receive with the milk tokens. The helpline is supported by trained operators from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday. An out-of-hours message also provides a number of options to provide claimants with guidance.
	The helpline offers claimants a number of message options for milk token guidance. This has consistently provided the relevant guidance for 70 per cent. of callers since it was established in April 2003. The remaining 30 per cent. select the option to speak to a trained operator. The combination of automated message and operator option provides a cost-effective solution as well as giving beneficiaries immediate access to answers to frequently asked questions.
	Since April 2003, the helpline received 385,387 calls. Of these 102,618 claimants selected the option to speak to an operator. Between 13 December 2004 and 22 January 2005, the helpline received 61,216 calls and 18,407 claimants selected the option to speak to an operator.
	Since the TDU assumed responsibility for the distribution of milk tokens to income support and jobseekers allowance there has been a large rise in the volume of calls. To help manage this increase, the TDU has installed a new system and has increased the number of trained helpline staff.
	The front-end out-of-hours message provides claimants with details of the date on which the TDU will receive the latest set of instructions from the Inland Revenue and Department of Work and Pensions, as well as the date on which they should expect to receive their next set of milk tokens. This message is changed every four weeks. The message about the previous token mail out is kept on the system for two weeks so that claimants who have not received tokens know that they should ask for their tokens to be reissued.
	Although the helpline was originally designed for inbound calls only helpline staff have, since November 2004 when the TDU took over responsibility for distribution of tokens to income support and income based jobseeker allowance beneficiaries, been increasingly making outbound calls in order to contact local benefit offices on behalf of claimants to help resolve milk token entitlement queries.
	The incorrect message on 22 January, giving guidance about tokens until 13 December, was due to a systems error and this has now been corrected. Daily checks are now made by the TDU to ensure that all messages provide the claimant with current information.

Mobile Diagnostic Centres

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has received requests from his counterparts in (a) the National Assembly for Wales and (b) the Scottish Parliament to discuss the use of NHS mobile diagnostic treatment centres.

John Hutton: 14 mobile treatment centres are run on behalf of the national health service by the independent sector. Two deliver cataract operations and 12 deliver magnetic resonance imaging scans. No direct requests have been received from the National Assembly for Wales or the Scottish Executive to use these facilities.

Mobile Phones

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he takes to ensure the widespread distribution of guidance his Department publishes on the use of mobile telephones;
	(2)  what plans he has to update the leaflet, Mobile Phones and Health", in the light of the latest study from Sir William Stewart.

Melanie Johnson: The National Radiological Protection Board publication Mobile Phones and Health 2004", announced on 11 January by Sir William Stewart, has reviewed progress since the Stewart recommendations nearly five years ago. The new report notes that
	the main conclusions reached in the Stewart Report in 2000 still apply today and that a precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technologies should continue to be adopted"
	The Government are currently considering the details in the report, which include recommendations about communicating information on health issues relating to mobile phone technology.

MRSA

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the needfor the NHS to set aside contingency funds in case of future civil litigation from patients who have contracted MRSA in hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not made any assessments on the need to set aside a contingency fund for future litigation by patients who have contracted methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospital.
	The National Health Service Litigation Authority runs risk pooling" schemes to indemnify trusts and specific other eligible NHS bodies against civil litigation, including from patients who have contracted MRSA in hospital through a hospital's negligence.

MRSA

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acute trusts are required to report; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 4 February 2005
	The mandatory surveillance system for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) collects data on all MRSA bloodstream infections regardless of which strain caused the infection.

NHS Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the annual increase in the NHS budget needed to meet the higher costs associated with (a) an ageing population and (b) improved healthcare technology; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Sir Derek Wanless in his report, Securing our Future Health: Taking a Long Term View", published in April 2002 indicated that the cost impact of increased life expectancy is likely to be small compared with other cost drivers.
	In his report, Sir Derek also estimates that medical technology would contribute around three percentage points a year to growth in health spending under the fully engaged scenario.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2002 Budget that the Government accepted the conclusions of the Wanless Review.

NHS IT

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practices in each cluster area have been supplied with new computer systems under the terms of the National Programme for NHS IT.

John Hutton: To date, 18 general practice sites have been supplied with new computer systems for general practitioners under the national programme for information technology. 17 of these sites are in the programme's London cluster, and the other is in the North East cluster. In addition, the choose and book service, with associated spine components, has gone live in 13 practices across the London, Southern, Eastern, and North East clusters.
	The programme's core systems, which will ultimately replace existing clinical systems, are currently under development.

NHS IT

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital trusts in each cluster area have been supplied with picture archiving and communications systems.

John Hutton: Picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) are a tried and valuable technology, which is already in use across the national health service. The PACS solution to be provided as a core service from September 2004 under the national programme for information technology is available to all NHS trusts in England. A number of orders have been placed to commence implementation work under the new contracts but no implementations are yet complete. The timescales for implementation vary in each cluster area according to the requirements and state of readiness of each trust.

Portsmouth Hospitals Trust

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will delay any contractual commitment by Portsmouth hospitals trust to rebuild Queen Alexandra hospital, Cosham by way of a private finance initiative until he has received the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

John Hutton: holding answer 31 January 2005
	No decision has yet been made to refer the recent decision by the Fareham and Gosport primary care trust to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board was established; what its annual budget is in 2004–05; how many staff it employs; and how many registrations of consultants have been approved since its inception.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 February 2005
	We have made grants of £2.8 million to the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) for 2004–05 and we are now discussing a final payment for the year with them.
	As at 31 January 2005, PMETB directly employed 1.4 full-time equivalent substantive staff, had 1.4 full-time equivalent staff on secondment from related organisations, and 16 staff on fixed-term or consultant contracts or employed temporarily through agencies.
	PMETB will not take on responsibility for issuing certificates of completion of training for those eligible to apply for consultant posts until its intended launch in September this year. Until then certification remains the responsibility of the Specialist Training Authority of the Medical Royal Colleges as the existing competent authority in this field.

Prescription Charges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the income to be received by his Department from pre-payment certificates for prescription charges in real terms in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, (c) 2007–08, (d) 2008–09 and (e) 2009–10.

Rosie Winterton: Income from the sale of pre-payment certificates (PPCs) is expected to be around £66 million in 2004–05. Income in future years would depend on the cost of PPCs in each year and the numbers sold, but in real terms, income is likely to at least match the expected income in the current year.

Small/Medium-sized Enterprises

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many research and development procurement opportunities were disseminated by the Department to small and medium-sized enterprises registered through the Small Business Research Initiative in each year since 2001–02 to date; and what the value of such opportunities was in each case.

Melanie Johnson: All calls for research proposals published by the Department are open to all research providers able to meet the requirements of the brief. Some limitations are imposed in the national programme on new and emerging applications of technology, which funds the development of innovative health and social care products and interventions where there is no commercial sponsor for the technology in its present state of development.

Smoking-related Diseases

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating people with smoking-related diseases; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 4 February 2005
	The latest estimate available was made in 1997, when the then Health Education Authority estimated that treating illness and disease caused by smoking costs the national health service up to £1.7 billion every year in terms of general practitioner visits, prescriptions, treatment and operations. (Buck D., Godfrey C., Parrott S., Raw M., University of York Centre for Health Economics, Cost effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions". Health Education Authority, 1997. A copy is available in the Library.)

Departmental Spending

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Department spent on (a) stationery and (b) office supplies in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The spend on stationery for each year since 1997 is shown in the table. The Department does not separately identify spend on office supplies.
	
		
			  Stationery (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,868,961 
			 1998–99 1,950,562 
			 1999–2000 1,940,745 
			 2000–01 1,748,090 
			 2001–02 1,775,541 
			 2002–03 1,438,581 
			 2003–04 1,428,683

Strategic Health Authorities

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total administrative cost of strategic health authorities was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 3 February 2005, Official Report, columns 1124–25W.

Unallocated Spending

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The planned departmental unallocated provision for the Department in 2005–06 is £500 million. Final figures for 2006–07 and 2007–08 are not available yet.

Waiting Lists/Times

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients (a) in total and (b) per 1,000 of population are on in-patient waiting lists in (i) the Guildford and Waverley primary care trust area, (ii) the Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority area and (iii) England.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		In-patient waiting list per 1000 population, November 2004
		
			 Organisation In-patient waiting list List per 1,000 population 
		
		
			 Guilford and Waverley  primary care trust 3,523 15.12 
			 Surrey and Sussex strategic  health authority 42,535 16.83 
			 England 832,472 16.87 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Commissioner based monthly waiting time return.
	2. Population figures are based on general practitioner lists in April 2003 and have been constrained to the Office for National Statistics 2001 census based mid-year 2002 population estimates.

Waiting Lists/Times

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waited for out-patient treatment for longer than 13 weeks in each year since 1997 in Worcestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The table shows the number of people waiting 13 weeks or more for out-patient treatment at National Health Service hospitals in Worcestershire at the end of March for each year since 1996–97.
	
		
			  Number of people waiting 13 weeks or more 
		
		
			 1996–97 622 
			 1997–98 578 
			 1998–99 836 
			 1999–2000 926 
			 2000–01 632 
			 2001–02 973 
			 2002–03 1,673 
			 2003–04 577 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health

Departmental Policies (Warrington, South)

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what capital projects, detailed by type and cost, have been undertaken at Warrington hospital in each of the last seven years;
	(2)  if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Warrington, South constituency, the effects on Warrington, South of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Warrington, South constituency.
	For example:
	At the end of November 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within Warrington primary care trust (PCT) had fallen to zero, from 856 in June 2002.
	At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Warrington PCT had fallen to 147, from 248 in June 2002.
	Figures for December 2004 show that all patients within Warrington PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a primary care professional within two working days, an improvement from 68.4 per cent. in June 2002.
	Warrington PCT's financial allocation increased to £179 million for 2004–05, a real terms increase of 6.8 per cent.
	In June 2003, at North Cheshire hospitals NHS trust, 92.8 percent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for September 2004 show an improvement to 96.3 per cent.
	Between September 2001 and September 2003, the number of consultants at North Cheshire hospitals NHS trust has increased from 106 to 107. The number of nurses increased from 1,093 to 1,156.
	In March 2002, 567, or 86.4 per cent. of patients were seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks. In September 2004, 960, or 99.2 per cent. of patients were seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks.
	Replacement computed tomography scanners have been delivered to Warrington district general hospital and Halton general hospital.
	A new independent sector treatment centre at Halton hospital, Runcorn, is due to become operational in summer 2006. The centre is expected to carry out an additional approximately orthopaedic surgery procedures annually during a five year period. In addition to the in-patient procedures, the centre will also be carrying out associated out-patient procedures and appropriate diagnostic tests.
	£6.3 million investment at the North Cheshire hospitals NHS trust includes the redevelopment of the accident and emergency department at Warrington District General hospital and a minor injuries unit at Halton general hospital. In addition, a new primary care centre will also be developed at Warrington district general hospital.
	A £1.9 million heart centre is planned for Warrington district general hospital and is due to be open later this year. Further details of capital projects can be obtained from the North Cheshire hospitals NHS trust.
	The Warrington PCT has invested £500,000 on modernising primary and community care. As part of this investment, it will include training specialist staff to undertake a number of specialised services in a community setting, such as taking blood samples, developing nurse-led services to combat heart disease, respiratory illness and orthopaedic services.